Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts launches Real Care, a new approach to patient care for company's HMO Blue Members.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 1996--To demonstrate active support of the physician/patient relationship and to boost member satisfaction, officials at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) today announced the implementation of Real Care, a new program for the company's 670,000 HMO Blue members(a) that gives patients and physicians the information, technology and power to make the right health care choices.

"The most important relationship for our members is the one they have with their doctors," said Maureen Coneys, executive director of HMO Blue. "At HMO Blue, we believe the best possible role for us is to support that relationship in every way we can."

"That's the thinking behind Real Care," Coneys continued. "It's based on the simple premise that, as a health plan, we shouldn't stand between doctor and patient; we should stand behind them. We should support them with the tools, resources and information to help them make the right health care choices. We see Real Care as a revolutionary step forward in managed care, one that will make managed care feel a little less managed and a lot more caring."

Real Care features the following components, among them some new and innovative tools to help ensure that members get the care that's best for them:

-- Blue Care Line (1-888-247-BLUE): Staffed by specially-trained registered nurses, the Blue Care Line gives members of all BCBSMA health plans access to a caring professional who can answer health questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The RNs are available to help callers understand symptoms and give practical advice, and to help members decide whether to call the physician, go to the emergency room, or follow a course of home treatment.

-- BlueTrack: When a member of a BCBSMA health plan registers for BlueTrack, the company's new and entirely confidential medical information tracking system, the member's ID card doubles as a high-tech medical alert system.

BlueTrack enables a member to record important personal health data on a secure BCBSMA system. During an emergency, if a member is unable to speak for him or herself, one swipe of the member ID card through the company's electronic network alerts physicians and other medical professionals to the member's health conditions, allergies, and prescription drug history, which is currently available on a BCBSMA system.

The company's currently deployed electronic network allows instant access to BlueTrack data by authorized medical professionals in any equipped emergency room or hospital in Massachusetts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. BCBSMA is the only health services organization in Massachusetts that can currently offer this capability.

-- Physician Electronic Network (HealthWire): BCBSMA has built HealthWire, one of the country's most advanced electronic networks for its physicians and hospitals. HealthWire makes verifying coverage, processing referrals and checking medical history simple and paper-free, so health care providers can spend less time tending to paperwork and more time tending to actual patient care. Among the new HealthWire features that demonstrate HMO Blue's support of the physician/patient relationship are automatic e-mail messages. These e-mails are sent to primary care doctors to notify them when one of their patients is admitted to the hospital by a specialist or is seen in an emergency room.

-- Internet Web Site: The company's Web site is also part of the Real Care approach. It gives members another way to access facts quickly about health plan benefits, health and wellness, and a list of the company's primary care physicians. The Web Site can be accessed at http://www.bcbsma.com.

The Real Care philosophy incorporates a commitment to help physicians and members in other ways. For instance, HMO Blue management has been studying the HMO's referral process and is making adjustments, where appropriate, to that process. As a result of this review, to make managed care feel less managed, adjustments are being made to streamline the referral process for members who require access to physical therapy.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts is New England's largest health services organization, providing a full range of managed care and traditional benefits, products and services to businesses and individual customers, health care providers, and federal, state and local governments. -0-

(a) The Real Care program is currently not available to HMO Blue for Seniors and BlueCare 65 members.

CONTACT: Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Judith M. Tortolano

617/832-4824