New BCBS tool drills into the wellness at regional level

A latest tool established by Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) measures the overall health of almost every county in the country, providing policymakers a nuanced look at each community’s most troublesome health conditions.

The BCBS Health Index recognizes health results at the county level by combing through more than 200 common ailments and conditions. Using information from 40 million commercially insured members, the Health Index assigns a numerical score from 0 to one to virtually every county in the nation.

The national average is 0.924, meaning the average county is living at 92.4 percent of its optimal health. The Health Index also lists the top 5 conditions in each county. Nationally, the top 5 conditions are diabetes, hypertension, depression, high cholesterol and substance abuse.

During a press conference declaring the Health Index, Maureen Sullivan, chief strategy and innovation officer at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) mentioned the insurer’s focus on transforming healthcare by making better the healthcare cost and quality, noting that information or data is the “engine to that transformation.”