Anthem Blue Cross to receive Tri-County Commercial contract renewal award

Dec 15 2009

Anthem Blue Cross announced today that the California Department of Health Care Services intends to award Anthem the Tri-County Commercial contract renewal to provide Medi-Cal benefits to residents in the Fresno, Kings and Madera Counties. This award is the second largest expansion and the third largest renewal in the country this year.

"The award of this contract allows Anthem Blue Cross' State Sponsored Business to continue to deliver on the promise made to residents in the Central Valley 13 years ago," said Kevin Hayden, president, State Sponsored Business. "Anthem is extremely proud of the history we have in the Central Valley and our demonstrated results to bring innovative health care programs and services to our members aimed at providing a coordinated approach to their health care. We know the need in these counties is great and we are excited that we will be able to expand our efforts and reach additional residents who are in critical need of access to health care," added Hayden.

The Central Valley has been home to many innovative programs developed by Anthem to better meet the needs of Medi-Cal beneficiaries and provide greater access to coordinated care. For example, Anthem's telemedicine programs have helped connect members in rural areas with medical specialists across the state, while our Emergency Room Reduction program has helped to reduce the number of inappropriate visits to the emergency room and encourage members to utilize their primary care physician for ongoing preventive care.

Additionally, Anthem will be launching a new program designed to assist members who require complex daily medication regimens to enroll in a pharmacy management program that will provide a personalized approach to medication therapy to help reduce medication errors and encourage medication compliance.

As an active leader in the community, Anthem understands the needs of the residents in the Central Valley and has taken a leadership role to mobilize efforts to address the growing concerns about asthma, obesity and diabetes. In doing so, Anthem has successfully brought innovative programs such as the Fly-a-Flag Air Quality Program to help elementary schools monitor air quality; training to help physicians diagnose and treat obesity in children, and asthma management programs to help members better manage chronic asthma conditions.