Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Pioneers First Specialty Intensive Medical Home Program

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) announces the first specialty intensive medical home (IMH) program in the state, with the Illinois Gastroenterology Group (IGG), the state's largest independent gastroenterology practice, effective September 1, 2014.

IMHs focus on improving patient access, care coordination and illness management, especially among those individuals needing treatment for chronic illnesses. In the BCBSIL/IGG Specialty IMH, these are the highest risk, multi-chronic patients with Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that causes a high incidence of complications.

IGG has already developed its own care management tool, Project Sonar, to enhance communications with its IMH patients with Crohn's Disease.

"Studies have shown that the rate of these complications decreases with improved patient communication," says IGG physician Lawrence Kosinski, MD, MBA.

Read the press release: http://bit.ly/1p9LzDV