New IBX ad campaign positions it as leader in coordinated care

Independence Blue Cross is launching a new ad campaign to coincide with the beginning of the Summer Olympics in London.

One of the new print ads features a skateboarder flying off a half-pipe and poses the question:”Wouldn’t it be nice if health care were this coordinated?”

 

The insurer is positioning itself as a leader in patient-centered and coordinated care.

“When a patient exits the primary care setting and gets into the specialist setting, they frequently are pingponged around the system getting their care,” explained Rich Snyder, company medical director. “And it’s very hard to know whether you’re seeing the right provider at the right time for your condition.”

A year and a half ago, after a three-year pilot program, the insurer started to provide incentives for any primary care physician to transform his or her practice into a patient-centered medical home.

That means they have staffers available to help patients navigate the health system, provide day-of appointment availability, and stress preventive care.

Independence Blue Cross “has really been a national leader in this,” says Pat Grundy, a national expert on medical homes.

In the next four to five years, Independence Blue Cross wants all of its providers to fall into that category, a goal Grundy said two other major insurers recently adopted.

“Their goal is no longer unique, but they are one of the very early movers,” Grundy said. “So they’re ahead of the curve.”

About a third of primary care physicians in Southeast Pennsylvania are operating out of these coordinated-care settings. That is much higher than the national average.

As part of the new ad campaign, the company is also replacing its 20-year-old logo with an updated version.

This note of disclosure: Rich Snyder is a member of WHYY’s Health and Science Resource Group.