Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee is part of an effort to build the largest healthcare database ever developed. The Blue Health Initiative combines healthcare cost information from Blue Cross plans across the country. The first phase of the database will be available to employers next year.
Jeff Grisham manages Tennessee’s contribution to the project. He says initially the database will show Blue Cross consumers, clients, and employers healthcare trends.
“It provides benchmarking primarily in the areas of industry, regions and national comparisons so that a company can look at their hec utilization and cost and compare it to like industries to other companies in their region and across the nation.”
Tennessee is one of 20 Blue Cross plans collecting healthcare information for the database. The first phase is undergoing testing right now and when it’s released will include cost information on hospital inpatient and outpatient visits. Grisham says the project is ongoing and will eventually include other healthcare information like pharmacy costs.
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