Independence Blue Cross was honored recently with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s Brand Innovation Award. IBX won the award for its Clinical Care Innovation Program, which supports the efforts of hospitals and doctors to develop and test rapid, safe, and structured approaches to improve healthcare.

Every year, Blue Cross Blue Shield plans compete for the prestigious award, which is presented by the BCBS Board of Directors. It recognizes projects and programs that have had a significant and measurable impact on plan members and strengthen the BCBS brand.

“We are extremely proud to receive this award and appreciate the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s recognition of our Clinical Care Innovation Program’s impact to date and the potential to improve healthcare for our members and in the communities we serve,” said IBX President and CEO Gregory Deavens. “The shared journey we’ve been on with health systems and specialty groups helps to mature value-based care programs and accelerate improvements in care delivery that we can measure, replicate, and scale.”

IBX’s Clinical Care Innovation Program supports providers who are leading the way to improve health outcomes, break down barriers to care, and drive increased cost efficiency in the system for the benefit of members and customers. The program funds grants and pilots to support:

• Innovative care delivery ideas needing a defined population, relevant insurer data, and financial support to better assess clinical and financial efficacy.
• Cutting-edge models of care that have demonstrated success in investigational settings or outside the Philadelphia market but require further development to optimize their value for IBX members.
• Mature initiatives that have been proven with IBX provider(s) and are being scaled more broadly across the network.

“We set out to prove that we can create a better way to evaluate and scale innovations that impact care delivery if we support and partner with the hospitals and doctors in our network,” said Dr. Rodrigo Cerdá, Senior Vice President of Health Services and Chief Medical Officer at Independence Blue Cross. “We’ve already seen approximately 50 percent of the ideas we’ve supported through the program move to the stage where they’re scaling to larger member populations and beyond. That’s the point where they start to make a difference in member experience, health outcomes, and cost of care.”

The Brand Innovation Award was established by the BCBSA in 2011. Its goal is to help promote innovative solutions that can help members and communities live their healthiest lives. All Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans are invited to compete for the award and are encouraged to focus their application on their most innovative program.

Learn more about how Independence Blue Cross strives every day for the health and wellness of its members by giving them the resources they need to live every day better.