How IT benefits BlueCross BlueShield

History:
BlueCross BlueShield Association is a large healthcare provider that is comprised of 38 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. They provide health insurance to over 99 million Americans. Blue Cross and Blueshield merged in 1982. The companies that comprise Blue Cross Blue Shield are licensees that are independent from the association that offers health insurance plans to certain regions. They also act as administrators of Medicare. 

How Information Technology is used to benefit Blue Cross Blue Shield and its Patients:
www.bcbs.com

Information Technology helps Blue Cross Blue Shield by helping their patients get the information they need for service, learning new things that is happening that affects the association, and helping Blue Cross Blue Shield market their brand through their website.

For example:

There is an article on their website that is titled "Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Joins Federal Partnership: Private-public Partnership collaborates To Identify and Prevent Healthcare Fraud." According to this article, billions of healthcare dollars are lost to fraud each year and people are exposed to harmful or unnecessary care. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association wants its patients to know through its website that they are making sure they are keeping their patients safe as possible from healthcare fraud. They are also improving affordability for its members. They, in 2011, saved their members 295.8 million dollars; which is an outstanding number.

Also, they promote a Blue 365 promotion on their website for members only. Blue 365 is a program that is sponsored by Blue Companies that helps you stay healthier for cheap. They offer discounts for members to save on products and services for a healthier lifestyle. These products and services include but not limited to health and fitness clubs, weight-loss programs, healthy travel experiences and etc. They use information technology to post these deals on their Blue365 website or to send promotion to their members email addresses.

Here is a list of Blue Cross and Blue Shield members that provide this service:

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona
• Florida Blue
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Lousiana
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of Massachusetts
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of Michigan
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of Montana
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of Nebraska
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of North Carolina
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of South Carolina
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of Vermont
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Northwestern Pennsylvania
• Capital BlueCross
• Carefirst BlueCross BlueShield
• Federal Emplyee Program
• Highmark, Inc
• Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Delaware
• Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of New Jersey
• Independence Blue Cross
• Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield

To summarize this blog, Blue Cross and Blue Shield is a large healthcare provider that uses information technology such as the internet and email to provide information on new innovations within the assocation and promote new deals for its members.