UPMC Health Plan Strives to Improve Healthcare Access and Quality

Teams with BL Healthcare for Remote Healthcare Initiative To Include Investment in BL Healthcare

PITTSBURGH (October 6, 2009) – UPMC Health Plan today announced a joint initiative with BL Healthcare to address the issues of access to quality healthcare and rising healthcare costs by using technology to provide remote care over broadband. UPMC Health Plan will leverage BL Healthcare’s next generation remote monitoring platform to provide unique and innovative services to their members. 

 This initiative will enable such services as at-home vital sign monitoring and real-time video connections with clinicians for UPMC Health Plan members with chronic conditions. The initiative also leverages a strategic investment by UPMC Health Plan in BL Healthcare, a Massachusetts-based electronic health technology company.

 According to Diane P. Holder, President and CEO of UPMC Health Plan, “BL Healthcare has gone beyond simple remote monitoring of vital signs to provide an integrated platform focused on the needs of our members, with advanced functionality such as videoconferencing, education using on-demand movies, real-time messaging and alerts, and unique member interaction features.  UPMC Health Plan  along with its parent company UPMC, has embraced the concept of telehealth because we see it as a means to provide scarce healthcare and medical expertise to vulnerable populations.” 

“UPMC is taking an aggressive leadership position in driving innovative new evidence based medicine practices for remote care management,” according to Michael Mathur, President and CEO of BL Healthcare.  “We are confident that this will result in the dramatic efficiencies that our national healthcare system requires in order to be sustainable. UPMC Health Plan’s vision and proactive implementation will set an example for others to follow and we are pleased to be working with them as a partner.”                        

 About UPMC Health Plan

UPMC Health Plan, the second-largest health insurer in western Pennsylvania, is owned by UPMC, one of the nation's top-ranked health systems. The integrated partner companies of the UPMC Insurance Services Division – which includes UPMC Health Plan, UPMC Work Partners, LifeSolutions (EAP), UPMC for You (Medical Assistance), and Community Care Behavioral Health – offer a full range of group health insurance, Medicare, Special Needs, CHIP, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance, and workers' compensation products and services to nearly 1.3 million members. Our local provider network includes UPMC as well as community providers, totaling more than 80 hospitals and more than 7,600 physicians in a 29-county region. For more information, visit www.upmchealthplan.com.

 About BL Healthcare

BL Healthcare (www.blhealthcare.com), based in Foxboro, Mass., is a leading provider of next generation remote health management solutions to the Healthcare Industry.  Leveraging the convergence of the Internet, Broadband technology, and Open Systems, BL Heatlhcare provides innovative solutions for linking members, providers, and caregivers for the monitoring and management of wellness and disease states at distributed points of healthcare access, particularly in the patient’s home. For further information, please contact Mike Masone at (508) 543-4150 – info@BLHealthcare.com.