Advancing health equity together

Our North Star

Create a healthcare system that is worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable.

Who we are

Human, Honest and Courageous

How we’ll get there

Health equity is embedded in everything we do.

• Create a personal, high-quality experience
• Serve more people
• Be financially responsible
• Be a great place to do meaningful work
• Stand for what’s right

Different people need different types of help so they can be as healthy as possible.

Blue Shield Promise’s commitment to our members

Health equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just chance to attain their best health.

We focus on health equity

We commit to helping people find solutions that help them reach the finish line – like getting needed medicines, health tests, managing conditions, and more.

We ask questions

We commit to asking questions to understand your needs. This may include:

• Asking questions during screenings
• Getting transportation to health visits
• Finding food assistance programs
• Writing messages for members and providers to stay connected
• Partnering members with providers who speak their language
• and more

We serve our members

We look at all areas across the health plan to find those who need extra help. Then, we create programs to help those members. We may even ask for your feedback along the way.

About the Quality Improvement and Health Equity Committee

Structure and duties:

The Health Equity Office is responsible for creating HEART Program strategy and growth across the health plan.

The Blue Shield Promise Quality Improvement and Health Equity Committee directs the HEART Program and its activities. Findings, advice, and actions are discussed at each meeting. The Quality Improvement and Health Equity Committee is composed of health plan staff, network providers, members, and community- based partners and meets at least quarterly. Formal minutes are kept for all meetings.

Summary of Quality Improvement and Health Equity Activities

Committee structure includes our Board of Directors, Blue Shield Promise President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Medical Officer, the Health Equity Office, and Quality leaders. Quality and health equity go hand in hand. These teams collaborate to observe metrics and plan ahead.

Organizational Chart - Health Equity Office

Interested in joining the Quality Improvement and Health Equity Committee? Contact BSPHealthEquity@blueshieldca.com for more information.

Quality Improvement and Health Equity Plan

Blue Shield Promise’s mission is to make the healthcare system worthy of our friends and families. We also focus on affordability. In all things, we seek to advance health equity. To do this, we provide events that support our mission.

Blue Shield Promise established these HEART Program goals:

Provide information

We will integrate data and analytics to produce valid, practical, and meaningful information to increase health equity.

Build sound structure and operations

We will build a base to support the HEART Program. We will also hear feedback from members, families, network providers, and more. This feedback will guide our future actions and events.

Embed equity

We will establish a multi-disciplinary framework for creating culture and equity across the health plan.

Design interventions that matter

We will create equity initiatives to decrease health disparities. Blue Shield Promise will use a health equity lens to continue improving interventions and to meet members where they are. We will work to develop data-driven, scalable, customized interventions. We hope these interventions will increase health equity.

Blue Shield Promise seeks to end disparities for all our members and within our organization. We strive to achieve health equity across all teams and for every member. The Health Equity Office will form a framework for setting a culture and practice of health equity. We will also strive to always stay in line with regulations. The Health Equity Office will work to implement the HEART Program to help end disparities among the groups we serve.

Blue Shield Promise’s Heart Program is designed to eliminate disparities

Multi-disciplinary approach

Blue Shield Promise seeks to create a healthcare system that is worthy of our family and friends and is within your means. We know that to achieve health equity, we must take a multi-disciplinary approach. To achieve this goal, we defined a set of health plan strategies. We applied a multi-disciplinary lens to each of these guiding principles to create a unique set of Health Equity Strategies.

Members

Blue Shield Promise focuses on holistic, person-centered care that meets the health needs of all members. We strive to address social determinants of health (SDOH), reduce disparities, and give every member the chance to reach their full health potential.

Providers

Blue Shield Promise helps providers focus on delivering quality care. We do this by providing technology and resources to remove barriers, waste, and clerical burdens.

Community

Blue Shield Promise aligns with community-based groups, public plans, and county partners. With innovative programs, we strive to improve community health and meet members where they live, work, and play.

Annual written summary

The Health Equity Office will conduct HEART Program oversight using Quality Improvement processes. We will also develop work plans and an annual health equity assessment. This will judge the success of the program through a formal process. A written report will be conducted annually.

Blue Shield Promise will make the Quality Improvement and Health Equity plan publicly available on its website on an annual basis.