BATON ROUGE, La. – Somesh Nigam, Chief Analytics and Data Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, is among Modern Healthcare’s 2022 class of Top Innovators. Modern Healthcare annually recognizes leaders from around the country who are instituting innovation and leading transformative programs that improve care by achieving measurable results and contributing to the clinical and financial goals of their organization.
Named the company’s first chief analytics and data officer in 2017, Nigam has built a best-in-class analytics and data organization, using its proprietary analytics platform, Pi (Performance Insights), and innovative artificial intelligence, Blue AI, to improve members’ health and lives.
“Somesh champions cutting-edge data initiatives. His outstanding team and business intelligence tools visualize and deliver timely, actionable information,” said Bryan Camerlinck, Blue Cross’ chief operating officer. “The team’s effort propels provider collaboration, value-based contracting, enhanced clinical management, member engagement and more.”
This Modern Healthcare honor focuses on how the essential work Nigam and his team have provided led to innovation and collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nigam and his team have shared their technological capabilities and data and analytics expertise at Blue Cross with the state of Louisiana since March 2020 to inform the state’s COVID-19 response.
The Blue Cross-developed COVID-19 Louisiana Outbreak Tracker allowed the state to make projections about rates of hospitalizations, deaths and health care facilities’ capacity. This gave state officials important information they needed to allocate crucial medical resources, implement mitigation measures like school closings and mask mandates and, ultimately, save lives.
That work, which is ongoing, also received a Brand Excellence Award in 2021 from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association for Brand Innovation, recognizing an innovative program that provides measurable impact to customers and the Blue brand.
“The health care industry is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by innovations in digital health technology and demand for alternative care models. This year’s Top 25 Innovators not only have the courage to try new ideas and approaches, but they also have the vision to turn them into tangible improvements in patient outcomes and experiences, population health, efficiency and cost-effectiveness,” said Fawn Lopez, publisher.
“Their innovative leadership serves as a model to aspire to, and we congratulate them for their achievements,” Lopez added.
Visit Blue Cross’ Thought Leaders page on its online newsroom to view research updates and videos from Nigam and other experts. Watch Nigam’s latest Thought Leaders video, “Louisiana's Success Tracking COVID-19, Thanks to Blue Cross” (2:34). For updates from Blue Cross’ Thought Leaders, follow Blue Cross on social media @BCBSLA. Blue Cross posts regularly on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.
This year’s Modern Healthcare honorees are profiled in the April 4 issue of the magazine and online at Modernhealthcare.com/awards/top-25-innovators-2022
Contact for information about Nigam or to request an interview:
Cindy Wakefield
Cindy.Wakefield@bcbsla.com
Contact for information or questions on the Top Innovators recognition program:
Carly Rick
Carly.rick@modernhealthcare.com
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. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying nonprofit health insurer with offices in every major region to serve our customers. We have been recognized for the past three years as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at www.bcbsla.com or talk to us on social media.
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