WASHINGTON, D.C., and BATON ROUGE, La. - Somesh Nigam, chief analytics and data officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, was among the leaders Tuesday at the White House announcing progress on initiatives that will better enable patients to access their healthcare data.
The effort furthers the work to standardize the way health information is shared, making it easier for patients to have digital access to their health data when and where they need it.
Nigam (far left in photo) joined other healthcare and technology leaders on stage during the White House Blue Button 2.0 Developers Conference.
“We have always believed that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana members should have control of their healthcare journey,” Nigam said. “It’s not possible today because all of the data is available in different places, in different formats. This announcement allows payers to come together with technology companies and other healthcare visionaries to commit to making it happen according to standards. That’s a significant move, and I feel it will be quite amazing for our members.”
Blue Cross continues to lead the healthcare industry in the journey to provide consumers with digital access to their healthcare data, such as claims, lab results, medication lists, allergies and immunizations. Blue Cross also believes patients should be able to:
Tuesday’s announcement builds on Blue Button 2.0, an effort the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid launched last year to allow Medicare beneficiaries digital access to their historical claims through health apps and other programs. It gives patients opportunities to work with their physicians and other providers to make better care decisions for themselves and their families.
The private sector has released today the CARIN Blue Button data model and draft implementation guide. They include 240 claim data elements that multiple regional and national health plans have agreed to use.
“This allows us to create and provide healthcare information in a standard format that will not just be uniform across Louisiana but nationally, and not just among payers, but also with providers and other stakeholders who are involved in our members’ healthcare journey,” Nigam said.
In addition to Blue Cross, a dozen payers, two states and two technology companies committed Tuesday at the White House to further real-world testing of the CARIN Blue Button model and guide in 2019.
“Blue Cross can assimilate a lot of data. We can also turn it into a digestible form that is more actionable,” Nigam said before the White House Blue Button Developers Conference. “It’s actions that can be taken by our members, their physicians and even the few hundred nurses who work at Blue Cross whose job it is to help with care management activities for our members. These resources help our members better manage their diseases and drive better health outcomes.”
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. We invest both time and money in the communities we serve, supporting the health and wellbeing of Louisianians through more than 200 charitable organizations.
With our subsidiaries, HMO Louisiana and Southern National Life, we provide group and individual health insurance plans, life and disability insurance, group voluntary products and administrative services to one out of four Louisiana residents. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana also provides Medicare supplement and Medicare Advantage plans and is a partner in offering the Healthy Blue Medicaid Managed care plan. Louisiana is the only state where we operate, with offices in every major region to serve our customers.
Founded in New Orleans in 1934, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is a tax-paying non-profit health insurer. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
To learn more, visit our website at www.bcbsla.com.
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