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What BCBSIL is Doing to Address Health Equity and SDoH

BCBSIL is committed to helping improve health equity (HE) for our members and the communities that we serve. The prevalence of health disparities has both a moral and economic imperative for action. Consequently, we are seeking to address opportunities to help improve health equity within the health care delivery system and outside of health care, upstream from disease and medical treatment.

We have also compiled a list of ICD-10 Z codes for social determinants of health  to better track and address the social needs of our members. We invite you to incorporate the codes on the claims you submit to BCBSIL so we may better understand the unique, social needs of BCBSIL members and help connect them with available resources.

AHA’s IFDHE Along with BCBSIL Announce Grant Program Award Recipients  The American Hospital Association’s (AHA’s) Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFDHE) and BCBSIL has granted awards to support the work of 13 Illinois hospitals and health care organizations in reducing disparities in health care.

Blue Door Neighborhood CenterSM  BCBSIL is committed to helping improve health equity for our members and the communities that we serve. One way we are doing this is by opening Blue Door Neighborhood Center (BDNC) locations in Chicago communities where some of our more vulnerable members live, work and play.

We currently have locations in three neighborhoods:

  • Pullman – Opened in April 2019 at 756 E. 111th St., Suites 102 & 103 in Chicago’s historic Pullman neighborhood
  • Morgan Park – Opened in August 2020, this BDNC will bring up to 550 jobs to 11840 S. Marshfield Avenue in the Morgan Park community
  • South Lawndale – Opened in December 2020, this BDNC occupies nearly 9,000 square feet at 2551 W. Cermak Avenue in South Lawndale’s Little Village community

Care Van® Program  For nearly 30 years, our fleet of Care Vans have brought public health services such as no cost immunizations, dental sealants and health literacy to schools, churches, parks, shopping centers, public housing, community events and other locations.

Diabetes Retinopathy Screening  BCBSIL is working with five clinics in the Chicago area to help improve screening rates for diabetic retinopathy. The clinics offer free diabetic retinopathy screenings to BCBSIL members and nonmembers to help combat diabetic retinopathy.

New Programs Aim to Reduce Disparities and Expand Care Access for Expectant Mothers and Babies  BCBSIL has announced more than $350,000 in grant funding to six community-based organizations working to improve maternal health outcomes on Chicago’s South and West Side neighborhoods.

Transportation Services to help our Medicaid members  BCBSIL is working with ModivCare [formerly known as LogistiCare Solutions, LLC (LogistiCare)] to provide non-emergency medical transportation services at no cost for our Blue Cross Community Health PlansSM (BCCHPSM) and Blue Cross Community MMAI (Medicare-Medicaid Plan)SM members.

Check out articles from our Newsroom related to HE/SDoH.

ModivCare, formerly LogistiCare, is an independent company that has contracted with BCBSIL to provide transportation services for members with coverage through BCBSIL. BCBSIL makes no endorsement, representations or warranties regarding third party vendors and the products and services offered by them.

The above material is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician or other health care provider. Physicians and other health care providers are encouraged to use their own medical judgment based upon all available information and the condition of the patient in determining the appropriate course of treatment. References to third party sources or organizations are not a representation, warranty or endorsement of such organizations. Any questions regarding those organizations should be addressed to them directly. The fact that a service or treatment is described in this material is not a guarantee that the service or treatment is a covered benefit and members should refer to their certificate of coverage for more details, including benefits, limitations and exclusions. Regardless of benefits, the final decision about any service or treatment is between the member and their health care provider.