When’s the last time you wrote and mailed a check? Many of us are making digital payments for more and more of what we need, from our mortgages to our electric bills. And before COVID-19 led to wearing a mask at the grocery store, we could even pay using Face ID on our iPhones.
At the same time, paying online can present a new set of challenges: keeping up with user IDs and passwords, or creating accounts, for every business we interact with.
Paying health care providers from BCBST.com
This spring, we launched a new way to help. Our members can now pay their health care providers directly from BCBST.com, using debit or credit cards, electronic transfers or their FSA or HSA accounts. (You can find more details in this article.)
In less than 3 months, eligible BlueCross members have used this new feature to make 5,388 payments to their providers, totaling almost $450,000.
Each one of these early adopters saved time – and many of them have already returned and made other medical payments with the tool.
Andrea Pelfrey, one of our medical policy researchers, said, “I was excited when I read about it, but using it has proven to be even better than I could imagine. Since I see multiple physicians, this is a real timesaver for me.” She also appreciates knowing our payment portal is secure, which means she can feel safe entering her payment information.
Adding ID cards to Apple Wallets
We also made it possible for members to open our myBlue TN mobile app and add their BlueCross member ID card to their Apple Wallet. This idea came from one of our employees as part of an innovation contest we held last fall, and it puts coverage details at your fingertips. It also makes it easy to securely share that information with someone like a grandparent who might be taking your child to a doctor’s appointment.
Andrea’s feedback above shows why we’ve focused so much of our time and energy on enhancing our digital capabilities. We know these tools can make life easier and bring peace of mind.
To learn more about these new ways to simplify your health care experience, visit BCBST.com.
Henry oversees sales and account management, product development, group and member customer service, membership administration, claims administration, and commercial financial management.