S.C. BlueCross to Integrate Care Management with Personal Health Record in Real Time

If I read this correctly, those with chronic illnesses could be targeted for an onslaught of information sent to their chart advising them on how to live healthier? This is not a bad idea, but how big will the onslaught of information be and how often? Will the patient be hammered with information on how to live healthier? And what about privacy...all Blue Cross branches will have access? In addition to insurers you can visit the Paradigm web site to also find a listing of clients to include some other large employers on the list...like Ford Motor Company.

It is another data warehouse making medical data base information available..good for medical care, but who knows where else the data may go...the question we all must ask from time to time...is it in the interest of better medical care or for reducing cost? BD

COLUMBIA, S.C., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina plans to electronically integrate personal health records with medical care plans and make these available in real time to BlueCross members and their health care professionals. Together with ParadigmHealth, a provider and integrator of care and disease management services, the two companies will make the new Integrated Care Management platform available to other insurance companies. The new platform is scheduled to go into use at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina by the end of this year. S.C. BlueCross also provides administrative services to a number of other Blues plans through its National Alliance division, and it will make this functionality available to those plans and their customers. S.C. BlueCross members will be able to access their personal health record, containing clinical and lab information along with their claims data, in the secure My Insurance Manager(SM) section of the company's Web site.

If a member has a chronic disease or high-risk condition, such as diabetes, individually targeted wellness information will be automatically included in their personal health record. In the case of a medical emergency, each member will be able to download and print their personal health record.