“Anita’s leadership and commitment to connecting communities to create change will provide a remarkable perspective for our company,” said BCBSNC President and CEO, Brad Wilson.

BCBSNC will open a regional service center in Fayetteville by the end of the year. This center will take customer calls and is expected to employ more than 100 people by mid-2015. BCBSNC also will begin the process of transferring most claims-related work to an outside company over the next several years.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina are partnering on the new Center for Healthcare Innovation, which launches with a pilot program designed to reduce hospital readmissions.

“This collaboration allows us to think creatively about transforming the way patients receive care, doctors and hospitals provide care and insurance companies pay for care,” said Susan Weaver, M.D., BCBSNC vice president of health delivery redesign. “Technology and data are rapidly changing the way we live and work but health care has been slow to harness these tools.”

Wake Forest University has received a $3 million gift from Blue Cross Blue Shield to help the school promote well-being at the university, Wake Forest officials said.

“The way insurers have traditionally paid medical professionals is through the ‘fee-for-service’ model. This model pays medical professionals for each service they provide patients, including tests, appointments and procedures,” said Brad Wilson, BCBSNC president and CEO. “But bundled payment agreements, like this one, prevent BCBSNC customers from paying unexpected costs. Patients pay one bill, even if they have to come back for another procedure or follow-up visit.”

“As the enrollment period comes to a close, it is very important for North Carolinians who would like coverage this year to take action,” said John Roos, BCBSNC chief sales, marketing and communications officer. “Some residents may be unaware of their options or have not had a chance to ask questions specific to their personal situation, we want to be in their community for them to do so and enroll with confidence.”

“In a challenging year for the healthcare industry, our company provided value for our customers by investing in technology and bringing new products and services to the market to meet our increasingly diverse customers’ health care needs. In addition, our network discounts with doctors and hospitals saved them over $5.7 billion on health care expenses,” said Brad Wilson, BCBSNC president and CEO.

Is the practice of charging one inclusive payment for surgical services, sometimes called “bundled payments,” the future of joint replacement surgery? Executives at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) and the surgeons at Triangle Orthopaedic Associates (TOA) believe that it is.

“The cost of a hip replacement surgery and follow-up care in North Carolina can range from $22,000 to $52,000, and the prices of many surgeries aren’t always available to patients when surgeries are scheduled,” said Brad Wilson, BCBSNC president and CEO.