PLANO, Texas and BOSTON, June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Massachusetts' (BCBSMA) network of physicians and healthcare
providers can reduce the amount of time spent on claims management
following the introduction of a new internet portal.
Developed by EDS (NYSE: EDS) (http://www.eds.com ), the secure,
Web-based portal will improve the way BCBSMA (http://www.bluecrossma.com )
conducts business by providing more than 35,000 healthcare providers with
access to personalized and targeted information 24 hours a day, seven days
a week.
"Our primary goal was to create an easy-to-use, customized portal to
relieve the administrative burden many doctors and medical staff face on a
daily basis leaving them more time to focus on their patients," said Carl
Ascenzo, BCBSMA's chief information officer. "EDS created a first-rate
solution to integrate several of our systems into a single, user-friendly
platform -- delivering on their commitment to our goal of providing
superior healthcare service to our providers and members."
The BCBSMA Provider Portal is integrated with Emdeon Office. This
integration will significantly reduce the amount of time providers spend on
claims management allowing them to check patient eligibility, review claims
status, view referral and authorization information while meeting HIPAA
requirements. Additionally, it provides simplified and personalized access
to content and information supporting a variety of provider processes such
as medical policies and guidelines, administrative guidelines, fee
schedules, Provider Reports (PIRS), downloadable forms and other
information as well as BCBSMA's newsletters ("Provider Focus," "Dental
Focus" and "Blue Focus"). The portal directs healthcare provider email
communications to the proper BCBSMA area based on a variety of criteria.
Lastly, providers can use the portal to register for BCBSMA training and
download training materials.
"This solution gives Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts greater
flexibility with targeted, cost effective distribution of provider
communications and increased access to its healthcare providers," said Joe
Fraser, EDS client delivery executive. "EDS has truly developed an
understanding of not only Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' IT
objectives, but also their business objectives which has afforded us the
opportunity to create a Provider Portal to meet their needs."
Since 1969, EDS has provided Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts a
number of IT services including Web hosting, desktop, mainframe, mid-range
and WAN network management, as well as middleware and integration support.
EDS provides services to more than 250 healthcare
(http://www.eds.com/industries/healthcare/ ) clients in 20 countries and
processes more than one billion claims annually.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (http://www.bluecrossma.com )
was founded 68 years ago by a group of community-minded business leaders.
Today, headquartered in Boston, BCBSMA provides coverage to 2.9 million
members. Consistently recognized for standards of service that are among
the highest in the nation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is the
choice for health care consumers seeking reliable and high quality health
care coverage. BCBSMA received the 2006 Innovation in Health Information
Technology Award for its e- health programs from the America's Health
Insurance Plans (AHIP) Foundation. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
About EDS
EDS is a leading global technology services company delivering business
solutions to its clients. EDS founded the information technology
outsourcing industry more than 40 years ago. Today, EDS delivers a broad
portfolio of information technology and business process outsourcing
services to clients in the manufacturing, financial services, healthcare,
communications, energy, transportation, and consumer and retail industries
and to governments around the world. Learn more at http://www.eds.com .
Julie Basa - EDS Susan Leahy-Schuh - BCBSMA
972 605 1862 617 246 4823
julie.basa@eds.com susan.leahy-schuh@bcbsma.com
SOURCE Electronic Data Systems Corporation; Blue Cross Blue
Shield of
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