Fast Facts about the Michigan Blues

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan founded: 1939
• Total employees: 7,000
• Members: 4.3 million in Michigan and 1 million outside the state
• Benefits paid to physicians, hospitals and other health care providers in 2010: $17.4 billion
• Claims processed annually: more than 81 million

Did you know?

• The Michigan Blues have the largest patient-centered medical home program in the nation — with 2,500 physicians at 770 practices across the state. The Blues PCMH program is helping to lower unnecessary use of health care services that contribute to higher health care costs for everyone.
• The Michigan Blues network is the largest in the state, with more than 150 hospitals and nearly 30,000 physicians.
• Through collaboration and data-sharing, the Blues' Value Partnerships programs are managing costs, decreasing complications, reducing errors and improving health. The programs saved more than $63 million in three years.

During 2010, the Michigan Blues...

• Paid $17.4 billion in health care benefits for its members.
• The Blues were again recognized as a leader in promoting the use of electronic prescriptions. According to Surescripts^®, the nation's largest e-prescription network, Michigan ranked second in the nation for the number of e-prescriptions filled. More than 5,600 Michigan physicians actively prescribe electronically.
• The Blues continued its Go Green initiative, reaching the point of having saved more than 5 million pounds of secured paper, 60,000 pounds of cardboard, 88,000 pounds of metal and 10,000 pounds of liquids.
• The Blues invested more than $550 million toward direct charitable giving, shared learning with health care providers, safety net coverage and public programs to lower the cost of health care coverage.