S.C. BlueCross Government Programs Division Honored for Compliance
November 18, 2008
COLUMBIA, SC – November 18, 2008 – The Health Ethics Trust, a division of the Council of Ethical Organizations, has recognized the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Government Programs Division with a prestigious 2008 Best Practice Award for health care compliance.
The Government Programs Division includes subsidiary companies Palmetto GBA, PGBA, TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, Q2Administrators and InStil Health Insurance Co., which contract with the federal government to provide administrative services for health care programs such as Medicare and TRICARE. All subsidiaries have their own compliance officers and departments, which ensure that each contract is administered in accordance with the standards, laws and regulations of its respective government program.
BlueCross was honored with a Best Practice Award for providing continuing compliance education to government programs employees. Efforts include publication of the Government Programs Compliance Handbook, the Compliance Common newsletter, and the Ethics Almanac, a compilation of actual compliance-related cases.
We place a lot of emphasis on providing continuously updated compliance information to our employees, and we are very pleased to be recognized by such an outstanding organization, said Cindy Cooper, BlueCross’ Government Programs compliance officer. Our employees’ commitment to compliance and high ethical standards is a major reason behind the success of our government programs subsidiaries.
The Health Ethics Trust, based in Alexandria, Va., holds the Best Practice Awards annually to enhance knowledge and awareness of better practices in health care compliance. Goals are to build awareness of the importance of compliance in health care, recognize accomplishments within health care compliance programs, and allow companies to exchange information about compliance programs.
BlueCross’ Government Programs Division, based in Columbia, S.C., employs 6,930 people in five states.
Palmetto GBA, PGBA and InStil Health Insurance Co. are based in Columbia, S.C. Palmetto GBA provides primarily administrative and claims-processing services for the Medicare program. PGBA is the nation’s largest processor of medical and hospital claims for the Department of Defense’s TRICARE health program, as well as a provider of Medicare Advantage claims processing, enrollment and financial administrative services. InStil Health Insurance Co. markets Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans throughout South Carolina and Georgia, in addition to providing Medicare Advantage administrative services to other plans. TrailBlazer Health Enterprises is based in Dallas, Texas, and provides Medicare-related claims processing and administrative services. Q2Administrators is headquartered in Ohio and provides appeals services for the Medicare program.
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Palmetto GBA and TrailBlazer Health Enterprises are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
