Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Pledges $750,000 to Program Fostering Authentic Conversations on Critical Care

Center for Advancing Serious Illness Communication Led by Minnesota Hospital Association and Minnesota Medical Association

Minneapolis-St. Paul (February 11, 2021) — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) today announced a $750,000 investment to fund for three years a new program from the Center for Advancing Serious Illness Communication (C-ASIC) – a joint initiative by the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) and the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA).

The program, which will work to address known gaps in care delivery for patients with serious and terminal conditions, aims to drive systemic change by enabling patients to make more well-informed decisions as their illness progresses. Through more effective conversations with health care providers and customized system workflows, the program is designed to train clinicians in how to have more timely, specific, and meaningful conversations with patients about their treatment and care preferences.

“These conversations, which can make all the difference in a patient’s health care journey, are critically important in serving individuals, their families and our communities,” said Dr. Craig Samitt, president and CEO at Blue Cross. “The complexities of our health care ecosystem can be overwhelming at times, and Blue Cross is committed to drastically improving the health care experience for all Minnesotans. We believe that this targeted program is a big step in the right direction, and we are honored to be a part of it.”

“Patients deserve compassionate and reliable support from their clinical team in understanding their prognosis and in prospectively defining the care that they do and don’t want to receive,” said Janet Silversmith, MMA CEO. “This program seeks to make those conversations the rule, rather than the exception.”

“The unfortunate reality is that many patients experiencing serious illness are not aware of the options available to them,” said Dr. Rahul Koranne, President and CEO of MHA. “If someone would prefer to receive care at home, for example, that’s something they need to be made aware of as an option early in the care delivery process. Empowering patients is really what our center is all about and we appreciate the support from Blue Cross.”

The Center for Advancing Serious Illness Communication, which will be led by Karen Peterson, RN, Executive Director, includes plans to evaluate, adjust and expand the reach of this program in the years to come.

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.

About the Minnesota Hospital Association:
The Minnesota Hospital Association represents Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems, which provide quality care for their patients and meet the needs of their communities. 

About the Minnesota Medical Association:
The Minnesota Medical Association is a non-profit professional association representing physicians, residents and medical students. With more than 10,000 members, the MMA is dedicated to being the leading voice of medicine to make Minnesota the healthiest state and the best place to practice.