Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans today unveiled a new information resource that captures its vast stores of claims information to provide health information. The so-called Blue Health Intelligence will initially offer its services to employers and in the future to consumers and providers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association officials said. The initiative is being pilot-tested and will be operational in 2007.
The secure, HIPAA-compliant database mines information from 79 million lives, making it by far the largest health database in the world, they said. However, access to the aggregate data will be available only to the participating plans. So far, 20 Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans are participating. Officials touted the database in a news release as a national resource that "will strengthen the movement to greater healthcare transparency by ultimately providing unmatched detail about healthcare trends and best practices."
