Blue Distinction^SM is the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies' nationwide program that will create an unprecedented level of transparency with two goals: engaging consumers to enable more informed healthcare decisions and collaborating with providers to improve quality outcomes and affordability.

Tapping into unparalleled networks in every community, Blue Distinction will help people who are healthy stay that way. It will help people who are ill find the most appropriate care. It will bring together doctor and patient as never before.

To view more information about the Blue Distinction program, click here for a Flash demonstration. You will need Flash® Player 8 and Shockwave® to view the file. If you do not have those programs, please click here for Flash Player 8 and click here for Shockwave. Both are free downloads.

Click to view the press release about the Blue Distinction program and questions and answers about the program.

Blue Distinction Components

Blue Distinction encompasses three main components, which will expand over time to include additional Blue Cross and Blue Shield initiatives.

• Blue Distinction National Transparency Demonstration
  A national transparency demonstration by 17 Blue Plans ensures that we are providing consumers with the most effective ways to learn about absolute and relative healthcare costs.
  
  
• Blue Distinction Centers^SM
  The Blue Distinction Centers identify quality providers of bariatric surgery, cardiac care and transplant services nationwide.
  
  
• Blue Distinction Provider Measurement and Improvement Program^SM
  The Blue Distinction Provider Measurement and Improvement Program integrates provider performance metrics from public sources into a national framework for improving healthcare quality.

In the future, the Blue Distinction program will also make use of data from Blue Health Intelligence (BHI), the nation's largest source of claims-based healthcare information and high-accuracy benchmarking.