| Oldest Health Benefit Provider Committed
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| | Course materials, which are regularly
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| to Improving Health Care
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| | modified, provide students with
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| 75 years ago Blue Cross Blue Shield
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| | information, principles and problems
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| (BCBS) was created to ensure healthcare
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| | designed to solidify basic knowledge and
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| for lumber and mining workers in the
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| | expand upon advanced concepts and
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| Pacific Northwest and hospital coverage
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| | practices as they relate to the
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| for teachers in Texas. Now providing care
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| | healthcare industry. Upon completing
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| benefits to more than 94 million
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| | coursework, along with earning Continuing
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| Americans, BCBS is the oldest and largest
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| | Education credits, students can be
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| health insurance companies in the United
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| | designated as a Professional, Academy of
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| States.
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| | Healthcare Management (PAHM) or Fellow,
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| With plans in all 50 states, plus
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| | Academy of Healthcare Management (FAHM).
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| Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, the BCBS
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| | National Labor Office
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| Association serves as the trade
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| | BCBS created the NLO over forty years
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| organization for the 38 independently run
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| | ago, and they continue to fund it today.
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| local BCBS health benefit groups that
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| | The NLO is the arm for labor outreach,
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| serve 1 in 3 Americans. Using their clout
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| | which focuses on keeping union members
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| to create a national presence, BCBS
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| | abreast of health care developments,
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| offers numerous community programs that
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| | strengthening ties to organized labor and
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| are dedicated to education, research and
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| | providing quality programs and services
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| collaboration. Programs related to
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| | to the over 20 million union members and
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| research and professional development
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| | their families.
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| includes the Foundation on Health Care
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| | Primarily, NLO acts as a liaison between
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| and the Academy for Health Care
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| | BCBS and labor, providing educational
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| Management. Those associated with public
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| | materials, developing relationships
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| education consist of labor outreach
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| | between various organizations and
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| through the National Labor Organization
| |
| | offering important information. Pending
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| (NLO), an educational campaign, focusing
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| | legislation, new healthcare products,
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| on the issue of performance enhancing
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| | developing trends, managed care and
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| drugs, called Healthy Competition and the
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| | bargaining strategies are all addressed
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| PBS television series Second Opinion.
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| | by the NLO.
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| BCBS Foundation on Health Care
| |
| | Along with communicating with unions,
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| The BCBS Foundation on Health Care,
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| | the NLO facilitates the exchange of
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| which is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
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| | information and discussion of issues
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| group, coordinates health service
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| | between union officials and BCBS senior
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| research amongst numerous organizations
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| | officers. Together, they work to address
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| across the nation. The Foundation acts as
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| | concerns specific to each union,
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| a facilitator between government
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| | including developing a healthier working
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| agencies, colleges and universities and
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| | environment, defining value-related
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| health plans. It sponsors both the Health
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| | healthcare and supplying health plan
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| Services Research Advisory Council
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| | analysis, reporting and design.
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| (HSRAC), composed of nationally
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| | The NLO communicates with unions via
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| recognized health care experts, and the
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| | newsletters, the web and informational
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| Health Services Research Alliance (HSRA),
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| | meetings as well as through its central
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| whose participating institutions are
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| | office.
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| located in 25 states.
| |
| | Healthy Competition
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| The HSRAC helps to identify key areas of
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| | The Healthy Competition program was
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| and provide guidance in multi-plan health
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| | developed by BCBS in response to the
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| services research, offers input regarding
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| | increased use and popularity of
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| how changes in the accessibility and
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| | performance enhancing drugs by both
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| delivery of health care may impact
| |
| | professional and amateur athletes.
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| individuals, groups and communities and
| |
| | Healthy Competition encourages those
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| gives assistance relating to the funding
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| | involved in athletics to safeguard their
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| and development of potential studies.
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| | health and the integrity of their sport
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| Organizations within the HSRA work
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| | by competing drug free.
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| collaboratively through the BCBS
| |
| | The program offers information related
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| Foundation to provide key studies that
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| | to drug use, sports and good health. It
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| are population and evidence-based. The
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| | delineates profiles of the three types of
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| Foundation is dedicated to creating
| |
| | performance enhancing drugs-stimulants,
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| important partnerships between various
| |
| | blood doping substances and anabolic
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| institutions, expanding funding
| |
| | steroids. Healthy Competition supports
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| opportunities and strengthening its
| |
| | research and education and promotes
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| presence in the health insurance and
| |
| | public awareness through various
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| health care community. The group
| |
| | initiatives.
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| disseminates information relating to
| |
| | PBS Second Opinion
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| health care conferences, promotes data
| |
| | BCBS provides sponsorship for the
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| based studies relating to medical issues
| |
| | 2005-2006 season of Second Opinion, the
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| and works to improve the quality of
| |
| | PBS series that engages various medical
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| services and their delivery.
| |
| | professionals in discussion of actual
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| Academy for Healthcare Management
| |
| | medical cases. The program attempts to
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| The academy was formed when the BCBS
| |
| | broaden the public's understanding of
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| Association and the American Association
| |
| | medical issues, choices and procedures
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| of Health Plans and Health Insurance
| |
| | encountered in our complex and ever
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| Association of America (AAHP-HIAA) joined
| |
| | changing world.
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| forces to offer online educational
| |
| | BCBS is the major health benefit
|
| opportunities for professionals
| |
| | provider in America. It has grown greatly
|
| interested in broadening their knowledge
| |
| | since its initiation 75 years ago.
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| of the challenges, priorities and
| |
| | However, through a commitment to
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| procedures connected to managed care
| |
| | professional and public education and
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| operations. Participants are given the
| |
| | betterment, it continues to focus on
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| opportunity to utilize up-to-date
| |
| | serving individual groups, as it did when
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| management concepts in everyday, real
| |
| | it first started providing benefits to
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| world situations, learning via instant
| |
| | teachers, lumbermen and miners.
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| response and assessment.
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| |
|
