Earlier this year, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield unveiled a new virtual-first plan that harnesses artificial intelligence to streamline health services for members, the insurer announced.
Now, it's making that plan available in several additional states beginning Jan. 1. Large group fully insured or self-funding employer clients in Connecticut and Virginia can select Anthem Link Virtual First plans, which harness the power of the insurer's Sydney app to connect members with benefits details, cost transparency information and more around the clock.
Stephanie DuBois, a spokesperson for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut, told Fierce Healthcare in an email that the plans first became available to large group self-insured employers in California, Missouri and New York as well as large group self-funded and fully insured employers in Georgia starting in July.
“Members can access Anthem Link Virtual First plans through Sydney Health, which is a digital member engagement platform that includes access to benefits, tools, resources and provider care 24/7,” DuBois said. “Sydney Health also offers an AI-driven symptom checker that intuitively uses the information members provide to narrow down millions of medical data points and assess specific symptoms before seeing a doctor.”
The plans offer a number of cost-sharing options for members, Anthem said, including no coinsurance for virtual care. In addition to virtual visits, members can also tap into Anthem's network of doctors and specialists for in-person services.
In addition, Anthem Link Virtual First health plans will use the health plan’s digital health platform to collect data from various providers throughout the healthcare system, the company said in the release. Collecting those data in a centralized way will make it easier to share key information between virtual providers and in-person doctors, reducing friction and improving the member experience, the insurer said.
"These Anthem Link Virtual First plans are part of our ongoing efforts to introduce innovative services to members that provide convenient healthcare on their terms, including virtual care, such as video visits with providers, and in-person care—making healthcare more accessible," said Lou Gianquinto, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut, in the press release.
DuBois said it’s all about engaging “healthcare services through a spectrum of care—digital (conversational AI, symptom checker), virtual (video, phone, text visit), and physical/in-person. This ecosystem of care helps ensure people have the opportunity to more easily access healthcare through a range of options, making healthcare more convenient and equitable.”