Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Achieves High Performance Scores from Federal Government for Medicare Offerings

CMS Star ratings show increases in cost and quality measurements

(Eagan, Minn.) October 21, 2015 – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Blue Plus (Blue Cross) announced an increase in the company’s overall score for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Star rating. Blue Cross’ achieved a 4.5 Star rating on the Platinum BlueSM Cost plan and a 4-Star rating on the SecureBlueSM (HMO SNP) Minnesota Senior Health Option (MSHO) plan.

The CMS Five-Star Quality Star Rating System, scores Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug (Part D) plans on a series of performance and clinical measures, including quality of care, member experience, health plan administration and customer service. Ratings range from one to five stars, with five being the highest. 2016 Star Ratings are based on services and care members received in 2014.

In 2015, Blue Cross established an internal Medicare Stars Center of Excellence to drive greater performance over the company’s ratings for its Cost and MSHO plans in 2014. Over the course of a year, the Medicare Stars Center for Excellence worked to develop and integrate improvements in provider engagement, member engagement, health improvement programs, administrative excellence and data analytics.

“Blue Cross has seen improved outcomes in several of the areas that CMS measures through the Star ratings,” said Stacia Cohen, vice president for the Medicare Stars Center of Excellence. “We are dedicated to continue to work  to maintain these high performance standards for our Medicare members so they can achieve the best possible health outcomes while  using the benefits available in their Blue Cross health plan.”

The Star ratings are posted at www.medicare.gov. More information about Blue Cross’ Medicare plans can be found at www.bluecrossmn.com/medicare.  

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

For more than 90 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (bluecrossmn.com) has supported the health, wellbeing and peace of mind of our members by striving to ensure equitable access to high quality care at an affordable price. We are on a mission to inspire change, transform care and improve health for the people and communities we serve by reinventing both ourselves and the broader system. Our more than 2.5 million members can be found in every Minnesota county, all 50 states and on four continents. As a proud nonprofit organization, we believe working to advance wellness for all Minnesotans is the greatest investment we can make. Our goal is nothing less than for everyone to be able to achieve their full health potential, regardless of race or other socially defined circumstances. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, which serves more than 107 million members across the U.S.