Blue Cross of California State Sponsored Business Honored for Helping Members Breathe Easier

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross of California State Sponsored Business (Blue Cross) announced today that it has been recognized by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association with a BlueWorks Award by the Harvard Medical School Researchers for its innovative and successful Fresno County asthma intervention program.

In 2003, in response to an alarming rise in asthma-related emergency room visits in Fresno County, Blue Cross utilized their strong community presence and mobilized local healthcare leaders, public health officials, academic researchers, scientists, physicians, and clinicians to form the Valley Air Quality Committee. By comparing claims data to measures relevant to air pollution, Blue Cross was able to work with the Committee to help identify the correlation between local poor air quality and asthma service utilization rates.

Located in the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno is a highly trafficked agricultural hub conducive to the collection of air pollutants, such as pollens, pesticides, and diesel truck emissions. Over time, with nowhere for the toxic air to go, pollution-related asthma has become a serious problem. "Reviewing health service data in combination with measures of environmental factors demonstrated the value of collaborative research. We observed a correlation between the known environmental factors and increased asthma- related health care services in our members," said Dawn Wood, MD, vice president medical director for Blue Cross State Sponsored Business. "Because of our strong presence in this community, we believed it was critical that we become actively involved and provide our expertise in leading efforts that would help improve our members' wellbeing," said Dr. Wood.

With data supporting the need to improve systems, Blue Cross, along with the Valley Air Quality Committee, collaborated with a local hospital and community agencies to help develop a series of programs and interventions to respond to the asthma challenge more effectively. These efforts resulted in the development of a Fresno-specific asthma program, which included better tracking of acute asthma episodes during adverse events, comprehensive asthma education, a provider referral system, and implementation of an air quality flag program in schools. In addition, Blue Cross appointed a Health Promotion Specialist to conduct local asthma-related outreach and help lead educational community activities.

Blue Cross observed declines in asthma-related hospital and emergency room use claims. This may be due to a combination of natural trends as well as the intervention efforts.

"We are pleased to be recognized for our work in finding solutions to address asthma," said John Monahan, president of State Sponsored Business. "This recognition supports our mission to improve the lives of the people we serve and the health of our communities. We have a long-standing history in Fresno County and we were pleased to collaborate with our community and bring

our expertise to help improve the quality of life for our Fresno County members," added Monahan.

Earlier this year, Blue Cross was the only health plan to receive the 2006 National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

About Blue Cross of California:

Blue Cross of California is a subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. . WellPoint's mission is to improve the lives of the people it serves and the health of its communities. WellPoint, Inc. is the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company in terms of membership in the United States. WellPoint, Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan counties and as Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com/.