Southeastern Massachusetts Health Group, including Easton, Recognized with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Municipal Blue Innovation Award

Southeastern Massachusetts Health Group, including Easton, Recognized with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Municipal Blue Innovation Award

Group honored for achievements in plan design and improving employee health and wellness

BOSTON — March 19, 2013 – Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), the trusted health plan of cities and towns for more than 75 years, announced that Southeastern Massachusetts Health Group* (SMHG), is a recipient of its fifth annual Municipal Blue Innovation Awards. The Municipal Blue Innovation Awards – a first-of-a-kind program in Massachusetts – recognizes cities and towns for successfully implementing plan design changes and health and wellness initiatives to make health care more affordable, while improving employee health. The award will be presented, along with a $5,000 wellness grant, to Southeastern Massachusetts Health Group in the Town of Easton on March 20 at 9 a.m.

Recognizing the benefits health plan changes can have on moderating costs, the Group has taken important steps with Blue Cross to implement cost-effective plan design changes. Offerings include Blue Cross’ Network Blue New England plans with deductibles, copays, tiering and other comparable features similar to those offered through the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC). Both plans provide opportunities for significant cost-savings when employees seek care from low cost, high-quality hospitals - and cities and towns benefit from lower premiums.

“I’m pleased to see communities in, and abutting my district, ban together in an effort to improve their municipal employee’s health, while bringing down their cost of health care,” said Senator Marc Pacheco (D—Taunton). “Having access to affordable care and wellness solutions makes for healthy, happy employees. I commend the Southeastern Massachusetts Health Group for their actions and challenge municipalities across the Commonwealth to do the same.” 

The Group also takes employee wellness very seriously. Notable accomplishments include:

• Blue Care Line: The group also promoted Blue Cross’ Blue Care Line, a 24-hour nurse care line members can call with medical questions. Speaking with a nurse before making a trip to the doctor or ER, is a convenient way to seek medical advice and save on health care costs such as copays and deductibles. They saw a 240% increase in utilization in the six months following the campaign.
• Emergency Room (ER) Reduction: A Limited Service Clinic email campaign educated members about the benefits of receiving care for non-emergent conditions outside of the ER. It’s helping to reduce unnecessary ER utilization - a major cost driver for municipalities.
• MRIs: SMHG is encouraging employees to use freestanding imaging facilities vs. a hospital setting for procedures like MRIs, which can help employees save on health care costs. The group also implemented walking challenges, on-site flu clinics and a diabetes program to improve employee health.

“According to the Wellness Councils of America, for every $1 spent on wellness, companies can save approximately $3.48 on health care and $5.82 in regards to preventing absenteeism,” said Teresa DeSilva, Board Chair and Treasurer Collector, Town of Easton. “This is a statistic the Southeastern Massachusetts Health Group takes very seriously. Helping our employees improve their health and wellbeing is our number one priority and we have implemented a number of initiatives designed to educate, and motivate them.”

“Blue Cross works directly with the state’s cities and towns to help them develop customizable health plans and wellness solutions,” said Larry Croes, BCBSMA’s Vice President of Commercial & Municipal Markets. “We applaud this year’s Municipal Blue Innovation Award recipients, who are on the forefront of making sustainable changes that will improve the health of their workforce and help lower health care costs for their communities.”

BCBSMA provides more than 75% of the cities and towns in Massachusetts with health insurance and is committed to partnering with them to reduce health care costs while improving the health of their employees. Past Municipal Blue Innovation Award winners include:                                                                                 

• 2012: Gardner, Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust, Middleborough, Scantic Valley Regional Health Trust
• 2011: Amesbury, West Springfield, Gateway Health Group
• 2010: Arlington, Beverly, Lexington, Peabody, Reading, Berkshire Health Group
• 2009: Haverhill, Wachusett Regional School District, Wakefield, Lowell, Mansfield

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts(www.bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate promise to always put our 2.8 million members first, we are rated among the nation’s best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. BCBSMA is proud to provide health coverage to more than 250,000 municipal employees, their families and to 120,000 federal employees.

*Southeastern Mass Health Group is a Joint Purchasing Arrangement comprised of Massachusetts communities including: Berkley, Dighton, Easton, East Bridgewater, Mansfield, North Attleboro, Norton, Plainville, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, the South Coast Education Collaborative and Westport.