Blue Cross, Northwestern Medicine increase access to health care

GENEVA – Northwestern Medicine and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois announced today that insurance members will have access to Northwestern Medicine’s network of 10 hospitals – including Delnor Hospital in Geneva – as well as over 4,000 physicians at more than 200 sites across the Chicagoland area, according to a news release.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, Blue Cross members participating in the Blue Choice Preferred PPOSM and Medicare Advantage HMO plans will be able to receive in-network services from Northwestern Medicine.

The arrangement is intended to increase patient access to care, the release stated.

Dean M. Harrison, president and chief executive officer of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, stated in the release that patients want to receive “high-quality, compassionate care, and they want to receive that care close to where they live and work.”

“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,” Harrison stated in the release.

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, the release stated.

Steve Hamman, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, said the insurer was “focused on increasing access to providers based on quality and performance indicators.”

"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," Hamman said. "We're excited to partner with Northwestern Medicine to bring these value-based benefits to our members."
 
Individuals or families can purchase some of the enhanced benefits through Get Covered Illinois, the state's insurance marketplace. These plans will be available until Dec. 15 for January 1, 2020 coverage by visiting https://getcovered.illinois.gov/en for information about available plans.