Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina to handle Medicare home health and hospice for five-state region.

COLUMBIA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 15, 1995--Beginning in December, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina will handle Medicare home health and hospice claims for a five-state region -- Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. The company won the contract over four other bidders. Medicare covers intermittent skilled nursing, physical therapy and speech therapy from homebound beneficiaries and hospice services for the terminally ill when medically necessary. The contract will add 112 jobs at the company's Columbia and Camden Medicare operations centers. Approximately 2200 home health agencies and hospices in the region participate in the Medicare program.

According to Medicare Vice President of Operations Bruce Hughes, the contract is worth $5.5 million a year to the company. Approximately 3.6 million Medicare beneficiaries live in the five-state region.

Currently, the company holds six other Medicare contracts in addition to the latest acquisition. "We have processed Medicare part A and B claims in South Carolina for the government since the program began in 1966. We also handle another home health contract for North and South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee, and a large durable medical equipment (DME) claims processing contract which covers 14 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands," Hughes said. DME includes such items as walkers, wheel chairs, hospital beds, oxygen and other medical equipment. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina also holds two other contracts in relation to the DME program.

"We are pleased by this new contract award and feel it is a reflection of our outstanding record as a government contractor," Hughes said.

CONTACT: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina

Donna Thorne, 803/788-0222, ext. 42437