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Improved Access

We're Bringing Access to Every Corner of North Carolina

Blue Cross NC is working at local and statewide levels to treat the causes of limited access to care and the costly ripple effect they create.

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Improved Access

No one should have to drive for hours to get to the nearest specialist or put their mental health on hold because services are limited in their area. And no one should have to pay for unnecessary procedures—or sacrifice care altogether just to pay their electric bill.

We’re addressing access to care at every level of our health care system, whether it’s through innovative programs like Blue Premier℠ that improves patient health; or through community partnerships that take on tough challenges at the local level.

We’re investing in primary care training programs to expand health care access across the state.

North Carolina needs more medical professionals. To assure that need is met, Blue Cross NC is investing $1.2 million in physician assistant programs that support rural health.

Learn more about expanding access to primary care

Mental Health

When it comes to access to mental health care North Carolina is in great need. Our state ranked #39 in the country in mental health care for youth, and #3 for shortages of rural hospitals. That’s why we’re increasing mental health access by expanding telehealth options, collaborating to train more primary care providers in rural areas, and investing in organizations across North Carolina who are helping the underserved with their mental health.

Blue Cross NC leaders at an event focused on youth mental health

Mental Health

New Solutions to Address NC’s Youth Mental Health Crisis​

Hear why and how Blue Cross NC is making it easier for young people and their families to access the care they need, whenever and wherever its needed.

Learn more at www.bluecrossnc.com

Mental Health

How we’re meeting the need for mental health support across North Carolina

With a statewide shortage of mental health care providers, finding care can be a huge challenge. We’re here to help, with 24/7 access to a team of medical professionals.

Learn more at www.bluecrossnc.com

Mental Health

Making it easier for children to get mental health care 

The effects of the pandemic and shortage of mental health care providers are taking a toll on our most vulnerable. We’re connecting children with mental health issues to the care they need.

Learn more at mediacenter.bcbsnc.com

Blue Premier℠

Quality health care should be measured by good health outcomes, not the number of procedures and tests being performed. We’ve partnered with health systems across North Carolina to implement Blue Premier℠, a groundbreaking program that holds providers and Blue Cross NC jointly accountable for better health outcomes, exceptional patient experience and lower costs. One benefit of this approach is that it rewards doctors for coordinating information so that patients get the benefit of having all their care providers up-to-speed on their health needs. Blue Premier℠ not only helps doctors actively manage a patient’s health care conditions, but it can also result in patients having more time and more frequent communication with their doctors.

A female nurse checks a senior man's blood pressure.

Blue Premier℠

Collaborating with UNC Health to make health care more affordable and accessible

Our newly extended network partnership with UNC Health allows us to continue to improve  access to care for patients across North Carolina, especially in rural areas.

Learn more at mediacenter.bcbsnc.com

Photo from the Blue Premiere shows people in suits and fancy attire sitting in rows in a conference room looking at a stage where 7 men sit on a panel.

Blue Premier℠

Blue Premier: Transforming Health Care

Blue Premier, our groundbreaking program, is transforming health care in North Carolina by putting primary care first, focusing on quality of care over quantity of procedures, and expanding mental health and behavioral health support.

Learn more at blog.bcbsnc.com

A mid adult female doctor gestures as she discusses home healthcare options with a senior adult male patient. The man is reading a home healthcare informational brochure.

Blue Premier℠

Paying for Outcomes, Not Procedures

Our industry-leading program, Blue Premier, is making health care more effective and more efficient by coordinating care between doctors, emphasizing the role of primary care, and paying based on outcomes, not procedures.

Learn more at mediacenter.bcbsnc.com

Community Partnerships

Amazing things are happening across North Carolina’s 100 counties. Blue Cross NC is providing support to the people who are actively making a difference in the health of their communities by getting resources into their hands so that they can do what they do best. Working together, we’re connecting all North Carolinians to the fundamentals of good health, from nutritious food to safe housing to reliable transportation and more.

A medical professional in a white lab coat sits at an outside table, looking at the camera

Community Partnerships

Joining Forces: How Blue Cross NC is Helping to Equip Veterans for Careers in Health Care and Bridge the Provider Gap

Each year, over 20,000 military members transition to civilian life in NC. Our investment in the Physician Assistant program at UNC School of Medicine is helping to train veterans for careers in health care and fill the gap in providers across the state.

Boxes of Narcan in a vending machine.

Community Partnerships

Providing life-saving Narcan in rural areas

We’ve partnered with Alamance County Health Department to install a kiosk in their lobby offering free Narcan, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses. Together, we’re helping save lives, destigmatize substance use disorder, and prevent costly trips to emergency rooms.

Learn more at www.bluecrossnc.com

Supporting Communities

Answering the call for care in rural communities

For North Carolinians living in rural areas of the state, access to health care is a serious problem—one that we’re actively addressing with long-term investments and partnerships with local leaders that allow us to be responsive to unique needs. Hear how we supported Jimmy Crayton, Chief of Police in Duplin County, as he went beyond the call of duty to provide care in his hometown.

Learn more at blog.bcbsnc.com

Group of people in casual clothing sitting in a circle on folding chairs.

Community Partnerships

Expanding access to treatment for substance use disorders in North Carolina

We’ve made substantial investments in proven treatment programs for substance use disorders—helping North Carolinians get the care they need to lead healthy lives.

Learn more at www.bluecrossnc.com

Telehealth

It’s not always necessary to make the trip to a doctor’s office for a follow up—and it’s not always possible. We’re working to expand telehealth coverage across the state—and find solutions for the infrastructure supporting it — so that factors like travel, geographic location, physical mobility or public safety protocols don’t interfere with access to care.

A woman with headphones on speaks to her doctor over the computer. Buttons to end the call and go on mute are aligned across the bottom of the screen. The doctor in the screen is wearing blue scrubs and a stethoscope.

Telehealth

Doctors Explain the Benefits of Telehealth

Wondering how—and why—telehealth works? Hear from two physicians about the benefits of virtual care and how to navigate a telehealth appointment.

Learn more at blog.bcbsnc.com

Two young African American women and an older Caucasian man stand smiling holding a large check from Blue Cross Blue Shield made out to Elizabeth City University in North Carolina.

Telehealth

Telepsychiatry for Students at ECSU

Students across North Carolina face significant pressure each and every day. We’ve funded a new partnership between ECU and ECSU to assure that students in Elizabeth City are getting the mental health services they need to thrive.

Learn more at mediacenter.bcbsnc.com

Health Care Provider Support

Everyone deserves access to quality care. However, with doctor and nurse shortages across the state, finding a provider can be a challenge. That’s why we’re partnering with community colleges, nursing schools, and state universities to expand training and increase NC’s health care provider pipeline. We’re also finding new ways to collaborate with primary care providers to improve patient outcomes, coordinate care, and lower health care costs for everyone.

Physicial and patient smile looking at tablet.

Health Care Provider Support

Helping bridge the gap in primary care services

North Carolina needs more doctors and nurses to keep communities healthy and health care expenses down. See what Blue Cross NC is doing to help address provider shortages in our state.

Health Care Provider Support

Helping independent primary care providers grow their practices

Through new investments, we are helping independent providers focus on delivering quality care, positively impacting their patients’ health—and the health of their practices.

Learn more at mediacenter.bcbsnc.com

A young man in a white lab coat and goggles and a young woman in a white lab coat and stripped shirt look at a microscope together in a scientific lab.

Health Care Provider Support

Blue Cross NC Awards Health Sciences Scholarship

Strengthening North Carolina’s health care systems means investing in the next generation of doctors and nurses. We’re supporting our students as they learn to care for the health of our communities.

Learn more at mediacenter.bcbsnc.com

A middle-aged African American female medical instructor stands at the head of a wooden table holding a clip board in front of six students of varying ethnicities.

Health Care Provider Support

$1.2M for Physician Assistants and Primary Care

Supporting physician assistant programs helps alleviate shortages of primary care providers in rural areas and supports health needs statewide. Learn how we’re investing in PAs and improving access to primary care across North Carolina.

Learn more at mediacenter.bcbsnc.com