Blue Cross Blue Shield uses a three tiered system for helping you with your healthcare decisions:
BLUE DISTINCTION TOTAL CARE (TOTAL CARE) This program recognizes doctors who spend more time on prevention, holistic (“total”) care, and personalized care planning for their patients.
Depending on the needs of their unique patients, Total Care-recognized doctors focus on:
- Helping patients stay healthy through preventative care and wellness programs.
- Supporting patients in making better decisions on the care they need.
- Coordinating patients’ care across the healthcare spectrum, like helping schedule appointments, finding the right specialist or scheduling tests and lab work.
- Expanding access to primary care through extended office hours and follow-up calls, so unnecessary visits to the emergency room can be avoided.
BLUE DISTINCTION SPECIALTY CARE These are medical facilities recognized for their expertise in delivering specialty care.
BLUE DISTINCTION + SPECIALTY CARE These are medical facilities recognized for their expertise and efficiency in delivering specialty care.
Blue Cross Blue Shield describes the differences between Blue Distinction Specialty Care and Blue Distinction + Specialty Care as follows:
“Blue Distinction Center and Blue Distinction Center+ designations are awarded to healthcare facilities based on a thorough, objective evaluation of their performance in the areas that matter the most— quality care, treatment expertise and overall patient results, just to name a few. The criteria are established with the help of expert physicians and medical organizations.
Blue Distinction Centers and Blue Distinction Centers+ have a proven history of delivering better quality and results than healthcare facilities without these recognitions.”
BLUE DISTINCTION CENTERS AND BLUE DISTINCTION CENTERS+ ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF SPECIALTY CARE:
- Bariatric Surgery
- Cardiac Care
- Complex and Rare Cancers*
- Knee and Hip Replacement
- Maternity Care
- Spine Surgery
- Transplants
* Blue Distinction Center designation only
So how does it work? As you are receiving health coverage from the Writers’ Guild-Industry Health Fund, all these services are available to you. Just go to Anthem web site and sign up for an account using your medical ID # (it begins with WRX).
Once you are signed up just follow the menus. You’ll fill out a short questionnaire about what kind of care you are seeking and then you will be taken to a results page listing all the healthcare professionals who might be appropriate to your circumstances.