Philadelphia’s First City-Wide Innovation Festival, B. PHL, Announced for October 2019

Celebrating the announcement of B.PHL, Philadelphia’s first city-wide Innovation Festival, are, left to right: Daniel J. Hilferty, CEO of Independence Health Group and chairman of the board of directors of The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia; Michelle Histand, director of Innovation at Independence Blue Cross; Marques Colston, former NFL player, founder and managing partner of Dynasty Innovation, and managing director of the Center for Innovation at Virtua Health; Sheila Hess, city representative for the City of Philadelphia; Rui Jing Jiang, co-founder and CEO of Avisi Technologies; and Rob Wonderling, president and CEO of The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.
Celebrating the announcement of B.PHL, Philadelphia’s first city-wide Innovation Festival, are, left to right: Daniel J. Hilferty, Michelle Histand, Marques Colston, Sheila Hess, Rui Jing Jiang, and Rob Wonderling.

Participants include local organizations, entrepreneurs and innovators across healthcare, technology, engineering, art, music, academia and more

Philadelphia – June 17, 2019 – Regional leaders and entrepreneurs today announced Philadelphia’s first city-wide innovation festival,...
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Independence celebrates 25 years of family fun with the Blue Cross RiverRink

Blue Cross River Rink 25th Anniversary
Photo credit Kate Kelly

Kickoff event highlights Independence gift of free skating

Philadelphia, PA — For a quarter century, the Blue Cross RiverRink season has started on Black Friday to help ring in the holidays. This year, it’s opening up with a very special treat for Philadelphia. Thanks to a generous gift from Independence Blue Cross (Independence),...
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Independence Blue Cross sponsors Latina Summit to discuss the importance of having health insurance

Independence Blue Cross Director of Member Marketing Erin Thurston and Hispanic Media President and CEO Ricardo Hurtado at the 2018 Latina Summit in Philadelphia Independence Blue Cross sponsored the Hispanic Media Latina Summit last week at Esperanza College in Philadelphia. The event, which was attended by more than 150 women, focused on health and well-being in the Hispanic community....
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Preventable Hospital Readmissions Cut by More Than 25 Percent Under Innovative Contract Between University of Pennsylvania Health System and Independence Blue Cross

A year into new collaboration, Penn Medicine and Independence announce unprecedented results

PHILADELPHIA, PA — After the first year of an innovative, five-year contract between the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) and Independence Blue Cross (Independence), the health system is reporting a more than 25 percent cut in hospital readmissions – the largest readmission reduction in both organizations’ history....
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Independence Blue Cross rolls out PreCheck MyScript tool to simplify prescription experience for patients and providers and lower out-of-pocket drug costs

Philadelphia — Independence Blue Cross (Independence) recently launched a new digital tool called PreCheck MyScript that allows providers in its network to easily determine the most affordable medication options for patients. The new tool — powered by FutureScripts, an OptumRx company — delivers greater transparency and healthcare connectivity by giving care providers real-time visibility into patients’ pharmacy benefits while helping to lower prescription drug costs....
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Independence Blue Cross reports more members using generics compared with the national average for Blue Cross Blue Shield membership

Spending increases for brand drugs at Independence are lower than national average

At more than $100 billion, prescription drugs represent more than 20 percent of overall health care spending for Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) commercially insured members. Prescription drug spending among branded specialty and patent-protected drugs continues to outpace generic drugs by $79.5 billion,...
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Independence hosts American Cancer Society forum on palliative care and pain management

Speakers at the Tri-State American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network forum, moderated by Virginia Calega, MD, vice president of Medical Management and Policy at Independence (far left). Independence Blue Cross (Independence) hosted the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s (ASC CAN) Tri-State Forum on Palliative Care and Pain Management for over 50 guests from the oncology community,...
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Daniel J. Hilferty interviewed on Fox Business News ahead of midterm elections

Fox appearance
Daniel J. Hilferty on Fox Business News with Florida Blue CEO Pat Geraghty and reporter Cheryl Casone. With midterm elections nearing and health care a top priority for many Americans, Daniel J. Hilferty, Independence Blue Cross (Independence) President and CEO, continues to serve as a national thought leader on the topic. He recently joined news anchor Cheryl Casone and Florida Blue CEO Pat Geraghty on Fox Business News to discuss two important health care issues – coverage for preexisting conditions and prescription drug pricing....
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Independence Health Group Announces Leadership Changes

Philadelphia, PA — Independence Health Group (Independence) CEO Daniel J. Hilferty announced key organizational changes at the executive level which will take effect January 1, 2019. These changes, which will position Independence for continued growth and leadership in the health care industry, include: Paul Tufano will become President, Independence Health Group. In this role, Tufano will report to Hilferty and take on additional responsibility for leading Independence’s Lines of Business,...
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Independence Blue Cross appoints Lorena Plaza as Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis

Independence Blue Cross (Independence) announced that Lorena Plaza has been appointed vice president of Financial Planning and Analysis. In her new role, Plaza is responsible for leading Independence’s annual and strategic financial planning as well as processes for forecasting, cost alignment, and analysis of results. Plaza reports to Gregory E. Deavens, chief financial officer at Independence....
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