5 questions with Aji Abraham and Tom Meier: What you need to know about our health plan business strategies

Physicians and hospital executives don’t always understand our product development and market strategies and why they’re important to our members and health care providers. That’s why we sat down with two Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan leaders — Aji Abraham, senior vice president of Health Plan Business Innovation and Market Solutions, and Tom Meier, vice president of Product Development and Market Solutions — to get a behind-the-scenes look at our strategies and efforts to work collaboratively with health care providers.

1. If you had the opportunity to speak directly to our health care providers, what would you like to let them know?

Aji Abraham: I would first and foremost want to thank them for delivering high-quality care to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan members who depend on them for their health and wellness. Second, I would like to thank them for the strong partnerships they’ve formed with us. Lastly, we want them to know that as we put together innovative new benefits and services, we value their input. Together, we can develop and implement programs that improve patient care, increase quality, lower costs and increase provider engagement.

2. What role do providers play in our product development and marketing efforts?

Tom Meier: Health care providers play a crucial role in the delivery of care for Blue Cross members and in helping guide our members to the best possible care and services. These include some of the complementary health and wellness solutions we develop. We strive to provide a comprehensive set of benefits to our members and appreciate your assistance in letting our members — your patients — know about them. We frequently write about some of these member-focused programs in The Record and other provider publications. For example, we wrote about our new Family Building and Support Solution in the November-December issue of this newsletter. We also wrote about the importance of letting patients know about the Blue Distinction^® Specialty Care program when they’re in need of specialty care.

3. What are customers looking for from our provider network?

Aji Abraham: Both our employer clients (also called our group customers) and our individual Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan members are looking for engaged providers who can help them access high-quality health care at affordable prices. Given the increasingly high cost of health care, our customers are looking for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and health care providers to work together to find ways to increase health care quality, lower costs and improve the member experience. For example, we worked closely with health care providers to launch Blueprint for Affordability, a payment model where providers tie a portion of their reimbursement to their ability to successfully manage their patients’ health and health care costs. See the article in this issue for the latest update on Blueprint.

4. What kind of consideration do you make regarding health care providers when developing plans, products or market solutions?

Tom Meier: Blue Cross understands and appreciates the important role that health care providers play in safeguarding the health and wellness of our members. Our plans, products and market solutions are designed to highlight or complement the care providers deliver in ways that improve health care quality, lower costs and improve the member experience. Recent examples include new condition management solutions that take primarily a digital approach to support members on their health care journey. They include programs to help members manage chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, as well as to provide family planning and maternity support. They’re designed to give members 24/7 access to support in ways that complement or supplement in-office visits with their primary health care providers.

5. Customers often have strong opinions about our provider interactions. What are you hearing from them?

Aji Abraham: They want to see us work collaboratively with providers to deliver an improved health care experience. Both customers and members want a health care solution that provides them with timely access to health services that meet their specific needs. With the help of our participating health care providers, we think we can meet their expectations.

Aji Abraham	Tom Meier

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.