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OWINGS MILLS, MD (January 27, 2009) - CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) contributed more than $40 million in 2008 to community and government programs in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia to help make health care safer, more affordable and accessible, higher in quality and more efficient. CareFirst's community giving falls under the umbrella of the organization's CareFirst Commitment initiative which was launched in 2005. In Maryland, CareFirst contributed $21 million to 171 community organizations and government health programs, in 2008.

"CareFirst is an organization that understands and embraces its community responsibilities," said Chet Burrell, President and CEO of CareFirst. "The $21 million we dedicated to Maryland programs in 2008 served many purposes. We invested in local community support programs, such as the Franciscan Center in Baltimore City, and statewide initiatives that act as catalysts to improve the overall system of health care in Maryland. For example, our contributions to the Community Health Integrated Partnership will help develop a statewide electronic patient record system to benefit 97,000 patients in clinics throughout the state."

CareFirst Commitment follows four tenets. It aims to improve health care affordability and access by reducing costs, increase patient quality and the standards of care for CareFirst members and non-members alike, close gaps in health care delivery by addressing racial and ethnic disparities, and encourage health and wellness in the diverse communities CareFirst serves.

CareFirst pledged $4 million in 2008 to help fund the Maryland Senior Drug Assistance Program (MD SPDAP). CareFirst's contribution to the program dramatically helps reduce the total out-of-pocket costs for individuals who reach the Medicare Prescription Plan's "donut hole." The subsidy is available for MD SPDAP participants this month. CareFirst has also volunteered to continue its $4 million contribution through the state's next fiscal year despite financial conditions that would allow the company to forego its 2009 contribution.

Advancing the use of health information technology has been at the forefront of CareFirst-sponsored initiatives. In 2008, CareFirst contributed the first of three $1 million grants for Maryland eCare to establish and implement electronic intensive care units (eICU) in six rural hospitals in Maryland. Participating hospitals include Atlantic General Hospital, Calvert Memorial Hospital, Civista Medical Center, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, St. Mary's Hospital and Washington County Health System, which collectively admit more than 66,000 patients every year. These hospitals are able to directly address ICU staff shortages and provide around-the-clock monitoring of intensive care patients.

Marc T. Zubrow, M.D., FACP, FCCP, FCCM, Medical Director of Maryland eCare, summed up the community benefits of the eICU program.

"Because of this partnership, we will be able to care for more patients locally - providing timely, critical care with the push of a button when patients need it; where patients and their families are most comfortable, close to home. Without Maryland eCare, patients would traditionally be transferred to a larger hospital, a considerable distance from their residence. We clearly believe that this is the care model of the future - not just for Maryland, but for the entire country and applaud CareFirst's commitment to this innovative concept."

Also in 2008, CareFirst contributed $1.5 million to support health information technology programs implemented by Community Health Integrated Partnership (CHIP) and LifeBridge Health. CHIP received $967,000 toward a $3.2 million project to develop an electronic health record system that links patient care throughout CHIP clinics in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Cecil, Charles, Harford, Montgomery, Prince George's and St. Mary's Counties, and Baltimore City. LifeBridge Health received $550,000 from CareFirst toward an $800,000 project to electronically link patients to their health care providers. Patients will have access to their medical records and can better coordinate care, electronically, among physicians in and out of the LifeBridge Health network of providers.

Gov. Martin O'Malley said of the collaborative, "Better utilization of health information technology is essential to making Maryland a leader in providing safe, high-quality and cost-efficient care. Bringing together diverse organizations such as CHIP, LifeBridge Health and CareFirst is just the type of effort that's needed to put technology to work improving health care for Marylanders."

The Y of Central Maryland began its Fit 'n Fun initiative, in 2008, in partnership with CareFirst to help prevent and reduce incidents of childhood obesity. Fit 'n Fun is funded by a $1 million contribution from CareFirst and is part of a region-wide effort that includes a
comparable program led by the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington.

John K. Hoey, President and CEO, Y of Central Maryland, said, "Childhood obesity is an epidemic in this country that can be stopped. By funding the Y Fit 'n Fun program, CareFirst is taking a leadership stance to reverse this alarming trend. Our joint efforts are already delivering impressive results that will have long-lasting benefits for the children in this program and their families."

Since the program began, Fit 'n Fun has reached 3,000 children through its traveling Kids Health Mobile, an RV-style vehicle fully loaded with an interactive gym, rock climbing wall, health assessment equipment and nutrition corner. In addition, Fit 'n Fun has enrolled 129 children in an ongoing after-school program to improve strength, endurance and over all fitness. These Fit 'n Fun kids have improved their fitness by 15 percent in just the first four months of the after-school portion of the program.

The Franciscan Center, in Baltimore City, received $30,000 from CareFirst in 2008 to help provide emergency care for 200 uninsured and impoverished people in need of emergency podiatric care, many suffering from severe diabetes who would not otherwise have access to treatment.

In its 72nd year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care organization which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.3 million individuals and groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. Through its CareFirst Commitment initiative and other public mission activities, CareFirst supports efforts to increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas.

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