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Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield receives award

PITTSBURGH — Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has received a Brand Excellence Award from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association for Brand Innovation.

The annual awards honor Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies in developing and enhancing the overall brand image. Highmark received the award for Brand Innovation, which recognizes an innovative program providing measurable impact to customers and the brand.

Highmark has been recognized for the Two-Way Secure Mobile Messaging program, which delivered an easily accessible communications channel to better reach high-risk members who previously could not be reached. The program significantly grew during the COVID-19 pandemic and has achieved more than $1 million in cost savings.

“We are proud to receive this Brand Innovation Award and to be recognized nationally for the innovative ways we are reaching members with higher clinical risk,” said Dr. Benjamin Edelshain, vice president of clinical engagement and digital innovation for Highmark. “We recognized significant barriers, especially during the pandemic, to access care among our highest risk members, and we sought to address that need through a secure system where our members could connect with nurse coaches and other clinicians.”

Highmark worked with vendor Relay Network to deliver the tool to more than a quarter million of its members, Edelshain said.

“As a result, we saw higher engagement and an enhanced member experience,” he said. “Additionally, we saw cost savings of more than $1 million, driven by multiple campaigns, and our top-performing campaign achieved a 67 percent action rate on a 57 percent click-through rate.”

The mobile outreach campaigns didn’t just promote health and wellness, they promoted a relationship. The average count of back-and-forth messages between member and coach was nine, with the highest at 116, Edelshain said. The timing of the outreach program also enabled Highmark to leverage this new channel to reach COVID-19 high-risk members with crucial information and resources to help keep them safe during the pandemic. And now, Highmark is also using the technology for outreach to schedule vaccine appointments for eligible members.

“Nearly one in three Americans trust the Blue Cross and Blue Shield brand to provide affordable, accessible and high-quality healthcare coverage to them and their families,” said Kim Keck, association president and CEO. “We are proud to recognize Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and their innovative Two-Way Secure Mobile Messaging program for creating a seamless way for members to access the care they need through an easy-to-use communications channel.”

This marks the 26th year the association has presented Brand Excellence Awards.

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