Anthem N.H. joins national health info data launch

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Hampshire and 18 other Blues affiliates will be participating in a nationwide launch of an information database providing health-care information to BCBS members.

Blue Health Intelligence, or BHI, is designed to provide information on health-care trends, best practices and cost analyses based on a claims database of nearly 80 million people.

In Friday’s announcement, Anthem said the secure, HIPAA-compliant database is “significantly larger than existing health-care databases.”

Information that could identify plan subscribers is not contained in the database, the company said.

Access to the data will be made available to BCBS plan customers are participating in BHI.

“Our vision is for a health-care system that is less complex and easier for consumers to navigate,” said Larry C. Glasscock, chairman, president and chief executive officer of WellPoint Inc., parent company of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire. He said BHI “will help transform the current health-care system into a focused, knowledge-based system” that presents information “in a clear, understandable and useable way.” — CINDY KIBBE