Anthem Blue Cross recognized for its diabetes pilot program

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. A local Blue Cross chapter has gained national recognition for its pilot diabetes program.

Anthem Blue Cross' health equities pilot is 1-of-7 programs recognized this year with a Best of Blue Clinical Distinction Award, an award developed by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and the Harvard Medical School department of healthcare policy, Anthem Blue Cross said.

The program, "Bridging Cultural Health Care Gaps: Diabetes," focused on creative and culturally appropriate ways to communicate with 4,000 African-American and Hispanic members in California and Georgia, and provided diabetes educational materials that included ways to substitute ingredients in favorite ethnic meals to make them healthier.

"We know that ethnically diverse populations experience a higher prevalence of certain diseases and worse quality of care than whites, regardless of the type of insurance they have or whether they have insurance at all," said Terri Amano, senior product manager for Anthem's programs in clinical excellence. "With this pilot, our goal was to find ways to provide useful and relevant information tailored to the cultures of our Hispanic and African-American members. This information helps them better control their diabetes and improve their quality of life. Even over the short term, we saw small but promising increases in disease management engagement among African-American and Hispanic members," Amano added. "We see this pilot as an important first step in helping our diverse members make important changes to their health and helping to bridge the cultural care gaps that exist today."

Anthem plans to use this pilot in other states.