MILWAUKEE & MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Anthem) and SSM Health today announced an agreement which will add Dean Clinic as well as St. Mary’s Madison, St. Mary’s Janesville and St. Clare Hospital providers and services to Anthem’s Blue Preferred and Blue Access health insurance networks effective January 1, 2016.
“This new contract gives many Blue Cross and Blue Shield commercial members in southern Wisconsin additional access to health care,” says Dr. Stew Watson, President & CEO of Dean Clinic. “It aligns with SSM Health’s strategic goal of being able to provide high quality care to more of the people in the communities we serve. The opportunity to serve more employer groups exclusively covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield is a nice complement to our existing Dean Health Plan products and our integrated health system as a whole.”
Blue Preferred and Blue Access are Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s broad network offerings in Wisconsin. Blue Preferred (Point of Service) and Blue Access (Preferred Provider Organization) are networks used by many employer-provided health plans. Blue Access is also the network out-of-state Blue Cross and Blue Shield members would use if they receive care in Wisconsin.
“Anthem works with local, regional and national employers and Dean was always one of the most-requested providers to add to our networks,” said Paul Nobile, regional vice president of Sales for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin. “This mutually beneficial agreement allows Anthem to provide expanded access to our members, and Dean to remain a go-to provider for businesses and their employees in southcentral Wisconsin.”
The scope of membership included in the arrangement is commercial insured and self-funded members whose plans use the Blue Access or Blue Preferred/Blue Preferred Plus networks. The agreement does not include Anthem’s products that use the Blue Priority network, which includes individual health insurance products purchased on the federally-facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace, or Anthem’s Medicare or Medicaid products. Anthem members with questions about their network or benefits should call the Customer Service number on the back of their membership identification card.
About SSM Health
SSM Health (www.ssmhc.com) is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through one of the largest integrated delivery systems in the nation.
With care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, SSM includes 20 hospitals, more than 60 outpatient care sites, a pharmacy benefit company, an insurance company, two nursing homes, comprehensive home care and hospice services, a technology company, and two Accountable Care Organizations. With more than 1,300 employed physicians and nearly 30,000 employees in four states, SSM is one of the largest employers in every community it serves. An early adopter of the electronic health record (EHR), SSM is a national leader for the depth of its EHR integration. The addition of Dean Health System in 2013 brings the number of physician visits across SSM Health to 4 million annually.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin (BCBSWi), which underwrites or administers the PPO and indemnity policies; Compcare Health Services Insurance Corporation (Compcare), which underwrites or administers the HMO policies; and Compcare and BCBSWi collectively, which underwrite or administer the POS policies. 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 and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin is available at www.anthem.com. Also follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AskAnthem or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AskAnthem.
