Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Mexico to audit health care providers

Blue Cross Blue Shield New Mexico, the Laboratory's health benefits provider, is conducting routine audits of health care providers in the region.

Blue Cross Blue Shield and other insurance companies periodically audit providers to ensure proactive and responsible management of health care costs, and to help keep overall health care costs down. Laboratory workers may hear of the audits from their health care providers; the Human Resources (HR) Division wanted employees to know this is part of routine oversight procedures, said Helga Christopherson, HR Division leader.

Compensation and Benefits (HR-1) and University of California benefits staff also remind employees that monitoring their health care expenses for savings opportunities is another proactive way to help keep health care costs down. The UC Benefits Health page at http://www.uc.thehealthpages.com/ online has useful tips for Lab workers on health care, drug formularies and other health information.

Nationally and locally, health care costs and premiums are increasing at a rate significantly higher than inflation. Increased use of hospital services was the prime factor driving up overall health care expenditures by 7.2 percent last year, the largest jump in a decade, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change. The rise in hospital costs accounted for 47 percent of the overall spending increase in 2000, according to the center.

"The Lab remains committed to providing employees the best health care at the lowest cost available in our area," Christopherson said. "Employees can contribute to the success of this effort by making sound health care decisions for themselves, ensuring that the Laboratory family gets the best benefit from [its] health plan."

For more information, write to Sandra Haire of HR at shaire@lanl.gov by electronic mail.

--Steve Sandoval

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