Dec. 11, 2019
Northwestern Medicine and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Expand Access to Care
Agreement will increase patient access while emphasizing clinical quality and value.
Northwestern Medicine (NM) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) are offering consumers expanded access to affordable, high-quality primary and specialty care close to where they live and work. The health system and insurer announced today that BCBSIL members will have access to NM’s network of ten hospitals, over 4,000 physicians and 200+ sites across the Chicagoland area.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, BCBSIL group and retail members participating in our Blue Choice Preferred PPOSM plans and group members participating in plans on our Blue Choice PPOSM network can receive in-network services from Northwestern Medicine.
“We know that patients want to receive high-quality, compassionate care, and they want to receive that care close to where they live and work,” said Dean M. Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. “By partnering with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, we are able to bring exceptional patient care to more patients, in more areas of Illinois by offering a network that provides access to all Northwestern Medicine hospitals, affiliated providers and outpatient care centers.”
This multi-year arrangement is part of BCBSIL’s larger vision to continue to enhance affordability, accessibility, and quality of care by maximizing collaborative patient-physician-health plan relationships.
“We are focused on increasing access to providers based on quality and performance indicators” said Steve Hamman, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. “We are a leader in these types of value-based care arrangements and continue to evolve and customize these programs to meet the needs of patients and providers. We’re excited to partner with Northwestern Medicine to bring these value-based benefits to our members.”
For more information about Northwestern Medicine’s accepted insurance plans, visit www.nm.org/patients-and-visitors/billing-and-insurance.
About Northwestern Medicine
To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit http://news.nm.org/about-northwestern-medicine.html.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is committed to expanding access to quality, cost-effective health care to as many people as possible in Illinois. BCBSIL is dedicated to innovation and exploring, nurturing and activating future possibilities to make the health care system work better for our members and our communities. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
