Blue Shield of California and Accolade to Provide Personalized Healthcare Solutions for Self-Funded Employers

OAKLAND, Calif. and SEATTLE, Feb. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California and Accolade will be offering national, self-funded employers headquartered in California a proven personalized member engagement experience. This collaboration provides employees and their family members with a seamlessly integrated service that combines technology and human expertise to live healthier, happier and more productive lives.

California employers with a national workforce will continue to benefit from Blue Shield's California network and nationwide network of physicians and hospitals through BlueCard, its leadership in value-based care, and its unparalleled service. By adding Accolade's personalized engagement solution, employers can benefit from proven boosts in program utilization, employee satisfaction, and cost savings. An integral component of this technology-enabled solution is the support members will receive from Health Assistants and Clinicians. They work directly with members to assess their health needs, answer benefits questions, and assist members before, during and after they receive medical care.

"Blue Shield is a nonprofit health plan focused on transforming the current healthcare system into one that is worthy of our family and friends, and sustainably affordable," said Don Antonucci, senior vice president of Commercial Markets at Blue Shield of California. "Accolade accelerates our work to bring healthcare into the digital age with a high-tech and high-touch personalized approach."

"Partnerships are essential in healthcare, where families, providers and employers need more personalized support, and Accolade and Blue Shield are committed to making real change in healthcare quality, costs and overall experience," said Rajeev Singh, Accolade CEO. "Together we're integrating best-in-class services in one place to give people a personalized path toward better health."

Accolade consistently delivers cost savings to its customers while receiving member satisfaction rates over 90 percent. In a 2018 study by Aon, Accolade's premier offering was shown to reduce claims costs for one employer by 6.5%, and for another employer by 4.7% versus similar employer groups not using Accolade. These reductions were generated exclusive of plan design changes, were measured across the entire member population, started in year one, and were sustained over the respective study periods.

The Blue Shield and Accolade offering is available for a January 2021 plan effective date. For more information on Blue Shield of California with Accolade, please contact [email protected].

About Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of California strives to create a health care system worthy of our family and friends that is sustainably affordable. We are a tax paying, not for profit, independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association with more than 4 million members, 6,800 employees and more than $20 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare health care service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $100 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation over the past three years to have an impact on California communities.

For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com.

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About Accolade

Accolade provides personalized health and benefits solutions designed to empower every person to live their healthiest life. Using a blend of cloud-based technologies, specialized support from Accolade Health Assistants® and Clinicians, and integrated data and programs across mobile, online and phone, Accolade navigates people through the healthcare system with trust, empathy and ease. Employers offer Accolade to employees and their families as the single place to turn for all health, healthcare, and benefits questions or concerns, increasing their engagement in benefits and connecting them to high-quality providers and care. By empowering members to make better decisions about their health, Accolade can support members in lowering the cost and complexity of healthcare while achieving consumer satisfaction ratings over 90 percent and an NPS of 60. For more information, visit Accolade on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and at www.accolade.com.

©2020 Blue Shield of California is an independent member of the Blue Shield Association

SOURCE Blue Shield of California