BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has nixed plans to open its first retail store in the Nashville area, opting instead to focus on reaching consumers digitally.
The state’s largest health insurer had been scouting the Nashville area for potential sites but hadn’t fully decided to move forward. Initially, the store would’ve offered health and wellness information, likely including nutrition, fitness and healthy cooking.
The goal was to build closer ties with consumers, who along with small businesses starting in 2014 under healthcare reform law would be able to shop for coverage on state health insurance exchanges. Other Blue plans have added similar retail shops.
BlueCross said based on approaches states are taking in designing exchanges, much communication around insurance purchases would occur online. So that’s where it’ll focus, doubling digital spending with plans for a new mobile app for Apple and Droid devices and a customer-facing website focused on individual and personal needs.
“Today many successful retailers like Amazon and eBay don’t even have physical stores but successfully gain market share dominance with their digital storefronts,” said Carla Raynor, its vice president of strategic marketing. “We plan to focus on a similar strategy as healthcare evolves to a more consumer-driven marketplace.”
But Alex Tolbert, a team member at Bernard Health, sees more consumers seeking face-to-face help to understand insurance products. Insurance broker Bernard has a retail storefront off Thompson Lane offering fee-based consultations to consumers on insurance options and plans to add another store in the Nashville area next year.
“For some people a mobile app is probably perfect, but there’s a large segment of the population that would prefer sit-down advice,” Tolbert said, adding BlueCross could be avoiding new administrative costs, as it’s required to spend more on medical care, and also conflicts, since it wouldn’t want to recommend rival insurers’ products.
Other tidbits
• Saint Thomas Health confirmed departures this month of chief nursing officers at its Baptist and Saint Thomas hospitals. Two weeks ago, Kathleen Hirsch quit at Baptist and two days later Saint Thomas’ CEO announced a restructuring that affected Chief Nursing Officer Anna Harb, said spokeswoman Rebecca Climer.
“We’re looking for a team that can change and adapt and really anticipate what’s going to be needed for our hospitals in the future,” she said, adding the changes had nothing to do with the ongoing meningitis issues or recent layoffs at both hospitals.
• Public health issues dominate the Tennessee Medical Association’s agenda for the upcoming state legislative session. The board of the statewide doctors’ trade group approved plans to pursue bills to address concussions in child athletes and the high number of infants born addicted to pain medications through making more treatment facilities available and encouraging use by the women who have narcotics problems.
• The TMA also wants state laws updated to address accountable care organizations, medical homes and other emerging risk-sharing models and a nationwide emphasis on efficiency, outcomes and cost reductions that’s creating new opportunities for healthcare providers and facilities to work together with payers. “We’ve got to assure that all stakeholders have all the same information and the playing field is leveled,” said Gary Zelizer, TMA’s director of government affairs.