All Posts

‘The flu shot isn’t just about you’

The flu season is here, and it is not too late to get vaccinated. Dr. Shawn West, a medical director at Premera Blue Cross, said that flu vaccines are important to keep the community healthy.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Community Health Aides: An old concept finding new life

Premera's Steve Kipp shares his thoughts on a recent trip to Napaskiak, Alaska.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

GeekWire podcast moderated by Todd Bishop

Innovation in Healthcare

Season three of GeekWire’s Health Tech Podcast kicks off with an episode featuring special guests from VIM, 98point6 and Microsoft Healthcare NExT, all companies which are simplifying healthcare using technology.

Wednesday, January 09, 2019

Self-care isn't selfish

Between the holidays, work, and family responsibilities, life can feel more like a pressure cooker than the most wonderful time of the year. Dr. Mia Wise, from Premera Blue Cross, shares the importance of self-care.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Kitti Cramer, EVP and Chief Legal & Risk Officer, discusses inpatient treatments with a behavioral health aide at Elana Alexie Memorial Clinic in Napaskiak, Alaska.

Understanding rural healthcare in Alaska

Premera’s Rural Health Initiative team has been traveling to communities in our home states, speaking with experts and community members about the issues they face.

Monday, December 10, 2018

Voices of Veterans

To commemorate Veterans Day, we profiled several of the 150 veterans who work within our ranks throughout the month. Premera veterans shared their stories with us, in their own words. Here is Connie Chapman’s story from our Voices of Veterans series.

Monday, November 12, 2018

My cancer story: Michael Hjort

Michael Hjort, vice president of Lean at Premera, shares his cancer story.

Friday, October 19, 2018

Addressing soaring drug prices

We often hear from our customers that healthcare is complex and often too expensive. Providing important cost information at the point of care between a patient and their healthcare provider, is one important way to help address the affordability of care.

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Premera joins the community to tackle heart disease

Premera's President and CEO Jeff Roe invites the community to join Premera Blue Cross at the American Heart Association's Puget Sound Heart & Stroke Walk.

Tuesday, October 09, 2018

Homelessness is a healthcare issue

Statistics show that homeless people have higher rates of chronic health issues, and about 80 percent of the time, they visit the emergency room for conditions that could have been treated outside of the ER. When a homeless person is housed, however, healthcare costs are reduced by 59 percent and emergency room costs are reduced by 61 percent.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Premera Listens, then improves

At the start of each day, the Premera Listens Activation Team gathers to comb through pages of customer feedback to improve the customer experience.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Premera and Seahawks award community MVPs

Premera Blue Cross is partnering with the Seattle Seahawks to establish the Premera Community MVP Award for the 2018-2019 season. The award will honor a staff member from a nonprofit organization in the Pacific Northwest who goes above and beyond their daily work.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Virtual care closes gaps in health care

Access and collaboration were common themes at yesterday’s panel discussion “Meeting Needs Through Virtual Care,” organized by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, as part of its Executive Speaker Series.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Crowdsourcing solutions in healthcare

The Premera Test Kitchen is looking to the people closest to our customers to create innovative solutions in healthcare: our employees.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Cocoon House previews new youth center

An active construction site paused as Cocoon House, located in Everett, Wash., showed off their progress this week on their new Colby Avenue Youth Center that will further their capacity to serve homeless youth and families in Snohomish County.

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Premera grant gives hope to Hope House

In March, Premera Social Impact awarded Volunteers of America a $1 million grant to support Hope House. The grant will allow Hope House to expand their services and move to a new shelter in December of 2019, which will allow them to triple the number of women they serve.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Making Alaska health care work better: State’s challenges require unique solutions

Premera’s CEO Jeff Roe addresses the high cost of health care and that the most effective ways to combating it involves collaboration – between patients, payers, providers, regulators and legislators. None of us can do it alone.

Friday, July 27, 2018

Employees give back to United Way

With matching funds from Premera Blue Cross, employees raised over $675,000 that will go directly to our nonprofit partners who are addressing poverty in the community.

Monday, July 23, 2018

Premera Announces $1 Million Investment in Covenant House Alaska

Today, through the Premera Social Impact program, we had the honor of announcing a $1 million grant to Covenant House Alaska to provide housing and behavioral health services for homeless youth.

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Premera medical directors appear on King 5

Solving the healthcare waste problem

“I often get the care I don’t need” is dramatically documented in the Washington Health Alliance’s newest report. Based on 2016 data, the report found that 11 overused healthcare services cost close to $300 million.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Report shows decline in opioid prescriptions and abuse diagnosis nationwide

According to the report “The Opioid Epidemic in America: An Update,” published today by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), the total number of opioid medications filled by commercially insured Blue Cross Blue Shield members has declined by 29 percent since 2013. In Washington state, there was a steeper decline by 35 percent.

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Premera’s Pride is Growing

This past weekend, Premera participated in the Seattle Pride Parade for the second year. A few weekends before that, we participated in the Spokane Pride Parade for the first time. As a key sponsor of both events, Premera showed up in each parade in a huge way, and I was honored to march in both.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Suicide prevention and resources for Premera customers

The lives of two icons, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, were cut short this month, thrusting into the spotlight the public health issue of suicide that is becoming alarmingly more common. Dr. Mia Wise discusses this rise in suicide rates and shares resources.

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Nonprofit spotlight: Childhaven

In late 2017, Childhaven received a grant from Premera Social Impact. Chris Hafner, Grants and Foundations Manager at Childhaven, shares a bit about the organization and how the grant has propelled their work.

Friday, June 01, 2018

Linda being examined by her Landmark provider.

Home-based care program improves customers' quality of life

Twenty-two pills a day is a lot. One for cholesterol, another for allergies, another to help with the side effects of the first drug. Landmark Health, a home-based care program, and Premera Blue Cross helped a customer identify that some of her medications had negative chemical interactions.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Disruption is now

Patti Brooke shares why Premera Blue Cross is partnering with GeekWire.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Start with empathy, stop the stigma

Dr. Mia Wise, a medical director at Premera Blue Cross, shares why it is important for us to talk about mental health.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Premera helps cancer patients make informed choices

Dr. Ted Conklin, of Premera Blue Cross, shares the significance of Fred Hutch’s Community Cancer Care in Washington State: Quality and Cost Report.

Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Jim Havens receives prestigious Komen award

On April 24, Jim Havens, a senior vice president at Premera, received Susan G. Komen Puget Sound’s Lifetime Achievement Award during the annual Impact Celebration.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Premera in Alaska wins BCBS award for member loyalty

Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska received a Brand Excellence Award for member retention from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Meet the Premera Social Impact nonprofits attending KING 5 Konnected

Are you attending KING 5’s Konnected on Thursday, April 19? Premera is featuring six of our nonprofit partners at this one-of-a-kind event. Learn more about them before you meet them on Thursday!

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Premera revises opioid policies to keep customers safe

Dr. David Buchholz, a medical director at Premera Blue Cross, shares two new changes to Premera’s opioid policies.

Monday, April 16, 2018

Nonprofit opens new facility to address youth homelessness

Cocoon House broke ground today on their new Colby Avenue Youth Center that will further their capacity to serve homeless youth and families in Snohomish County. Premera Blue Cross gave a $1.6 million Premera Social Impact grant for the building campaign.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Premera welcomes Ada Developers Academy intern

Meet Julia Meier, Premera Blue Cross' first Ada intern. Recruiter Megan Foster shares her recent Q&A with Julia.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Nonprofit spotlight: Hopelink

Premera’s Social Impact Program recently completed its first year of funding grants at the end of 2017. This week we are highlighting Hopelink.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Mom showing her child something on her mobile phone.

Healthcare must innovate

Torben Nielsen shares why the healthcare industry should continue to innovate for their customers.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Photo of Senior Customer Service Representative Kevin "Nuchi" Xiong

Behind the scenes in the call center

Customer service representatives share their experiences working in our call center.

Friday, January 12, 2018

Photo of Dr. John Espinola speaking at the 2018 Washington State of Reform Health Policy Conference

Improving healthcare through persistence and fearlessness

There was a time when conflict between doctors and insurance companies was a normal and accepted part of the healthcare business, but that’s changing. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that strong relationships are critical and are often the key driver of people getting better care at a lower cost.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

I thought I knew healthcare, then I became a patient

Premera executive Steve Kipp shares his recent healthcare experience.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Premera grants take on early childhood trauma

Premera announces second Social Impact Grants to address behavioral health issues.

Friday, December 15, 2017

How Premera helps customers with opioid addictions

Premera Blue Cross' team approach to helping patients living with chronic pain or opioid dependency

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Advocating for health: The case of sugar and heart disease

Dr. Phil Colmenares responds to reports that the sugar industry downplayed harms to cardiovascular health.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Who wins when healthcare gets more personal?

Kristin Meadows shares a story about a recent trip to Alaska and how the experience reminded her why Premera’s work is important.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Premera cares: Giving back to the community

Lisa Silvestre shares the importance of giving back to the community is important.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

A generational moment for healthcare

Nathan Johnson explores why Premera needs to focus on millennials as a growing customer base and adapt to their needs.

Friday, November 17, 2017

Team bonding through Bonding Kits

Premera's Social Impact team relies heavily on our nonprofit partners to communicate the most pressing needs in the community. In the spirit of that partnership, our Corporate Communications team (with friends from Marketing and Healthcare Services) decided to roll up our sleeves and help by putting together more than 250 personal health kits for new mothers.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Priceless Coins

Timothy Albanese reflects on the many military coins he has received while in service. He explains why these coins are special and the brotherhood they represent.

Friday, November 10, 2017

Image of a chart showing insurer payments to Alaska providers

Alaska medical costs are more than double the national average

Alaska’s medical cost increases are showing no signs of slowing down, while the cost gap continues to widen, according to a study commissioned by Premera.

Thursday, November 09, 2017

The Four Problems of Healthcare: I Often Get What I Don't Need

We wrote last about patients failing to get the kind of care they need, such as simple and often inexpensive interventions like vaccines and cancer screenings. But another major problem in health care is that far too often patients get far more than they ever need.

Tuesday, November 07, 2017

The Four Problems of Healthcare: I Don't Get What I Need

The adage, “You get what you pay for” works in many parts of the consumer economy. Sadly, that’s not the case in healthcare.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Photo of Jeff Roe, CEO of Premera Blue Cross

We can do more to reward healthful outcomes for patients

Jeff Roe, CEO of Premera Blue Cross provides insight into how Premera is taking the lead in making healthcare work better and putting the customer first.

Friday, October 27, 2017

The Four Problems of Healthcare: It Costs Too Much

If one listens to patients – after all, that’s who health care needs to work for the most – it doesn’t take long to draw the conclusion that health care does indeed have some big problems.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Making a social impact on behavioral health

Communities around the country find behavioral health problems difficult and daunting, and needs in this important health category often go unmet. Premera's Social Impact program is doing more to help organizations in Washington state and Alaska meet these challenges.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Value-based Care: It starts with the patient

How do we work to put the patient first? It starts by focusing on value and service.

Thursday, October 19, 2017