Anthem Blue Cross Teams With APS Healthcare to Provide Care Management Services for New Medi-Cal Managed Care Eligible Individuals

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthem Blue Cross announced today that it has signed an agreement with APS Healthcare to provide comprehensive and targeted care management and coordination for Medi-Cal members enrolled in California's Seniors and People with Disabilities (SPD) Program who select Anthem as their health plan, when the State's SPD program transitions to managed care on June 1.  

Working in collaboration with Anthem's outreach and medical management team, APS Healthcare will focus on providing comprehensive care management and coordination designed specifically to meet the often complex needs of SPD beneficiaries.  

Relying on a combination of direct member outreach and clinical review, Anthem and APS Healthcare will work to ensure programs are designed to meet the needs of members requiring complex care as well as those with more basic needs.  An important focus of the program is to help identify and address social and environmental issues that can create barriers to appropriate health care for SPD beneficiaries.  By helping to remove those barriers, SPD beneficiaries can become more empowered and remain effectively engaged in their medical care.

"We know SPD beneficiaries require a very personalized approach to their health care needs and we want to help ensure that our members have access to care management programs that will meet their unique needs," said Kevin Hayden, president of Anthem's State Sponsored Business.  "We are excited to team with APS Healthcare to provide this high touch care management program for our members; APS' processes to address the comprehensive needs of individuals who have serious illnesses and complex socioeconomic problems will provide a valuable benefit to our members."

"We are very excited to begin our work with Anthem Blue Cross.  APS Healthcare is uniquely positioned to improve the health of the highest risk Medi-Cal members," stated Jerry Vaccaro, M.D., President and COO of APS Healthcare.  "Our successful community-based approach, already deployed in multiple states, not only focuses on changes one can make to improve health, but more importantly we work to remove the obstacles to receiving appropriate health care in the first place, which can help avoid medical complications before they occur."

Anthem's agreement with APS Healthcare further complements existing programs available to Anthem's Medi-Cal members such as the DailyMed Pharmacy Program, 24-hour physician on-call program and the 24-hour care management and case management program. Collectively these programs are designed to provide Anthem's Medi-Cal members with a personalized and coordinated approach to their health care needs.

About Anthem Blue Cross:

Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name of Blue Cross of California.  Anthem Blue Cross Partnership Plan is the trade name of Blue Cross of California Partnership Plan. Anthem Blue Cross and Anthem Blue Cross Partnership Plan are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Association. ® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc.  The Blue Cross names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross is available at www.anthem.com/ca.  Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/healthjoinin, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HealthJoinIn, or visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/healthjoinin

About APS Healthcare:

APS Healthcare, headquartered in White Plains, NY, is a leading provider of specialty healthcare solutions. APS Healthcare delivers customized, integrated healthcare solutions that help people engage in behaviors that optimize their health status. By uniting all participants in the healthcare landscape – individuals, practitioners and payers – APS Healthcare improves overall health and reduces total healthcare expenditures.

SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross