Chapel Hill - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) has made its eInfoNOW tool available to all local and national self-insured employer groups. eInfoNOW(SM) is an online reporting tool that enables employer groups to track claims utilization data and to perform data analysis.Having this capability enables BCBSNC and the employer to tailor insurance plans to meet the specific health needs of each employer group, according to John Friesen, BCBSNC's vice president and chief actuary of Actuarial and Underwriting.
"This strategic communications tool is all about relationship management - between BCBSNC and our employer groups, and between our employer groups and their employees," he says. "By having the data to see what is or is not used by those covered under our plans, we can make changes that more effectively meet the unique needs of each employer group."
The reporting tool tracks changes in claims utilization. "eInfoNOW allows employers to drill down through layers of information to identify issues, opportunities and trends," says Mary Henderson, senior vice president at Health Data Management Solutions Inc. (HDMS), the Beachwood, Ohio-based company that developed eInfoNOW. "Employers can create easy-to-read reports to help them focus their efforts and health care dollars to offer competitive benefit packages that meet the needs of their employees."
BCBSNC clients already using the data tool include the North Carolina State Health Plan and BB&T Corporation. "eInfoNOW provides me with easy access to all of our health care claims," says Steve Reeder, vice president and benefits manager at BB&T. "The ability to compare our claims with benchmark numbers also helps BB&T determine where we should focus our efforts to help control health care costs. We can also easily track the health care claims experience of our employees who choose to participate in our wellness program."
The online function itself is a secure, Web-based reporting tool with filtering, expansion and drill-down capabilities. Member data is private. The eInfoNOW tool is built around a flexible data model that can support each group's unique reporting needs, according to BCBSNC.
Source: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
