Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Partners with University of Missouri Health Care to Offer Consumers New Health Plan Options

Business Wire

New coverage option to be available Jan. 1, 2019

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and University of Missouri Health Care have partnered to offer a new health plan option that will benefit consumers and local employers by increasing access to affordable, quality health care.

The Anthem Alliance Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) product was designed to meet the evolving health care needs of Missouri companies and consumers by providing benefits to members through a focused network of MU Health Care physicians, hospitals and other health care professionals. This new product will be available beginning Jan. 1, 2019 for employer groups that are located in the Columbia and Jefferson City markets and have 51 or more employees.

“Anthem is committed to making health care affordable for Missouri consumers, and working closely with our provider partners is an important key to managing cost in today’s health care market,” said Amadou Yattassaye, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri. “By collaborating with MU Health Care, we can help ensure consumers have access to cost affordable, fully integrated health care. The Anthem Alliance EPO is such an example for consumers in the Columbia and Jefferson City areas.”

“As an academic health system, MU Health Care brings innovation and discovery to the field of medicine through our commitment to leading-edge care, research and education,” said Jonathan Curtright, MU Health Care CEO. “We believe in keeping care local, and we’re proud to partner with Anthem to provide care for health care consumers in the Columbia and Jefferson City areas.”

Through the Anthem Alliance network, health care consumers in mid-Missouri will have access to more than 6,000 physicians, nurses and health care professionals through MU Health Care and its affiliates. As an academic health system, University of Missouri Health Care offers a full spectrum of care that encompasses primary care as well as highly specialized treatment for patients with the most severe illnesses and injuries.

Through the network, health care consumers can expect lower out-of-pocket costs and a robust technology platform for sharing clinical data, including an integrated electronic medical record (EMR). The Anthem network also offers a best-in-class care model that features a full continuum of health management to allow doctors to better identify risk factors and gaps in care to ensure more proactive, cost-effective medical outcomes for patients. Anthem Alliance EPO is also available in St. Louis and southwest Missouri.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri

In Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area) Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name for RightCHOICE® Managed Care, Inc. (RIT), Healthy Alliance® Life Insurance Company (HALIC), and HMO Missouri, Inc. RIT and certain affiliates administer non-HMO benefits underwritten by HALIC and HMO benefits underwritten by HMO Missouri, Inc. RIT and certain affiliates only provide administrative services for self-funded plans and do not underwrite benefits. Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

About University of Missouri Health Care

As part of the state’s premier academic health system, University of Missouri Health Care offers a full spectrum of care, ranging from primary care to highly specialized, multidisciplinary treatment for patients with the most severe illnesses and injuries. Patients from each of Missouri’s 114 counties are served by approximately 6,000 physicians, nurses and health care professionals at MU Health Care. MU Health Care facilities include Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, the Missouri Psychiatric Center, University Hospital, and Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Columbia. Affiliates include Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, Columbia Family Medical Group, Columbia Surgical Associates and Rusk Rehabilitation Center. New clinic locations in 2017 include Family Medicine – Fulton Family Health and the Family Medicine clinic in Ashland. MU Health Care is a founding member of the Health Network of Missouri and MPact Health. More than 50 MU Health Care outpatient clinics in central Missouri receive outpatient visits exceeding 550,000 annually. For more information, visit http://muhealth.org.