Richardson-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas is launching Blue Energy Solutions to help benefits administrators in the energy industry reduce healthcare costs. BCBSTX covers 800,000 energy workers across the country, and will focus on analytics, communication, and access for oil and gas companies.
“Energy companies face unique challenges calling for uncommon solutions,” said Dr. Dan McCoy, president of BCBSTX via release. “The Blue Energy Solutions team uses proprietary data and predictive modeling to collaborate with our energy customers in new ways. This helps us improve access to care while containing healthcare costs; we believe Blue Energy Solutions is a game-changer.”
The solution can be used to help company’s identify specific health issues and recommend programs to manage the symptoms and prevent future problems. The insurer is also utilizing their telemedicine capabilities and innovation lab to improve access to providers and pharmacy services.
For instance, the BES team could use analytics to help a company identify health issues within its workforce like musculoskeletal conditions – which can be related to weight gain – and then recommend an enhanced care management program that would include weight loss and nutrition tools. These solutions lead to cost savings for employers, and increase engagement for employees and their families.
BES organizes Energy Client Council meetings to allow clients to share best practices from BCBSTX data focused on all parts of the oil and gas industry, upstream, midstream, or downstream.
“Understanding the energy industry and our clients is critical,” said Heather Linton, who leads the Blue Energy Solutions team as a Divisional Vice President at BCBSTX via release. “Change is constant. Mergers and acquisitions continue to drive the energy sector. Workers live in man camps or on oil rigs for weeks at a time, making it difficult to communicate benefits information and to provide access care. Our goal is to help support the industry in a holistic way by addressing concerns in the heart of the communities they are in, oftentimes rural. We want to address their needs where they are and when they need us.”
