Blue & You - Spring 2012

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table of contents The newly renovated Museum of Discovery in downtown Little Rock wows guests with new exhibits. INSIDE 3 4 Out of the Blue Healthy eyes and teeth with our new DentalBlue Gold SM Plus Vision plan PAGE 10 5 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 16 18 19 20 22 23 24 We’ve gone mobile Review your doctor Case management helps with rehab Eat healthy with Arkansas Blue Cross and P. Allen Smith Arkansas Blue Cross members invited to “discover” a new museum UAMS chair in emergency medicine honors Stanley Reed Register now for the Ozark Race for the Cure! Effects of secondhand smoke on children Risk of a heart attack goes up after a loved one dies Lose weight The Healthy Weigh! Shower the Mother Hood with “Likes” Blue & You Foundation gives healthy smiles Lifelong Health with Dr. David Prescription drug abuse is everyone’s problem The Doctor’s Corner Notice of Privacy Practices New preventive service for Medicare The 2012 Blue & You Fitness Challenge is under way Customer Service telephone numbers Good for you events and activities 2 Blue & You SPRING 2012 SPRING 2012 Blue & You is published four times a year by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield for the company’s members, health care professionals and other persons interested in health care and wellness. Editor: Jennifer Sullivan – bnyou-ed@arkbluecross.com Designer: Ryan Kravitz Photographer: Chip Bayer Contributors: Chip Bayer, Gio Bruno, Gabe Couch, Matthew Creasman, Damona Fisher, Kristy Fleming, Trey Hankins, Heather Iacobacci- Miller, Kathy Luzietti, Mark Morehead and Kelly Whitehorn Vice President, Communications and Product Development: Karen Raley ON THE COVER: Adi Jain, 10, a student at E-Stem charter school in Little Rock, checks out the human skeleton replica in the Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield “Amazing You” exhibit at the Museum of Discovery. &
Consumer transparency: Good for everyone A message from our CEO and President, Mark White out of the Blue When consumers make important and high-cost purchases, they generally have the ability to research their available options and choose accordingly. For example, when car shoppers begin their search, they can find numerous sources that provide information on the quality of the models in which they are interested. After a model is selected, the consumer can then compare the price of that model at a number of dealerships before making the purchase. In this way, consumers make sure that they are getting the best quality at the best price. But when consumers need medical services, they are constrained in their ability to compare the cost and the quality of the medical service providers available to deliver the service. This lack of “transparency” around medical services means that consumers have very limited ability to make informed decisions about who will provide their care. Employers are leading the charge for increased transparency around medical services and demanding that health plans provide their employees with the tools they need to choose wisely when medical services are required. And as a health insurer, we understand the value of the American consumer at evaluating a service and making a wise purchase decision. And so it becomes our responsibility to deliver information and tools that help our members make informed and value-based health care decisions. We have to make the information our members need on the doctors and hospitals they are considering understandable, valuable and easily accessible. Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield is a committed partner in the Blue National Transparency Initiative, which means we are actively sharing information with other Blue plans nationwide so that every Blue member has access to information about doctors and hospitals throughout the country. It is our goal to deliver transparent health care treatment cost and quality information to our members. Why is transparency important? By sharing information with our members, they can make more informed choices about where to go for care. It puts them in control of their health care. The following are examples of how transparency has transformed our services: Blue Distinction — This designation is given to health care facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality health care in a particular medical service area such as treating rare cancers or performing gastric bypass surgeries. When our members see that a hospital has earned the Blue Distinction status for a particular specialty, they can be assured that the institution has met stringent criteria designed to provide the best possible patient outcomes. The Blue Distinction program initially focused only on the quality of care that patients received. After all, the highest quality care is also frequently the most cost-effective. Now, the program is being expanded to include cost information as well. National Consumer Cost Tool — This tool, available now by logging in to the self-service section of our Web sites (called My Blueprint) for Arkansas Blue Cross, Health Advantage and BlueAdvantage Administrators of Arkansas members, gives access CONSUMER, continued on page 22 Blue & You SPRING 2012 3
Page 1: SPRING 2012 Discover... ... the “
Page 5 and 6: We’ve gone mobile Arkansas Blue C
Page 7 and 8: The rotator cuff is a system of fou
Page 9 and 10: Saturday morning, I head downtown t
Page 11 and 12: Arkansas Blue Cross supports UAMS c
Page 13 and 14: ... an online community for moms ju
Page 15 and 16: Harmony Health Clinic started seein
Page 17 and 18: 7. Don’t let the little things ge
Page 19 and 20: Resolve to keep your resolution! So
Page 21 and 22: To protect your privacy, informatio
Page 23 and 24: The 2012 Blue & You Fitness Challen

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