Highmark Inc. Recognized by National Committee for Quality Assurance for Efforts to Reduce Health Care Disparities

By significantly increasing access to exercise programs and expanding its network of participating locations, Highmark Inc. saw membership by African American members in the SilverSneakers® Fitness Program grow from 3.4 percent in 2004 to more than 18 percent in 2008. For its efforts, Highmark was awarded the "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award" by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

For more than four years, Highmark has partnered with the SilverSneakers Fitness Program, the nation's leading exercise program for older adults, to offer an opportunity for seniors to participate, at no additional cost, in fitness activities and to improve their overall health. To date, more than 68,000 Highmark members have enrolled in SilverSneakers.

"Research has shown that consistent exercise is a key component of a healthy lifestyle for people from all demographics," said Judith Black, MD, medical director of Senior Products at Highmark Inc. "An initial analysis of SilverSneakers Fitness Program enrollment rates by Highmark Medicare Advantage members in 2004 identified a significant disparity in enrollment between African American and White members. It was imperative for Highmark to address the enrollment disparity and provide access to fitness programs for our senior members."

To increase enrollment rates among African American members, six SilverSneakers participating locations were added to the existing network. These centers were located in predominantly minority neighborhoods that were identified as having high concentrations of African American Highmark members: HealthStar Physical Therapy, Penn Hills YMCA, Aliquippa Community Hospital, Homewood-Brushton YMCA, Centre Avenue YMCA (in partnership with the Hill House Association), and the Sarah Heinz House.

In addition, to more fully engage potential program participants, Healthways, the parent company of SilverSneakers, revised its marketing materials to include more diverse images and incorporate a theme of "fitness, fun and friends." SilverSneakers also helped to increase the number of qualified instructors from diverse backgrounds, an important step in building relationships and increasing participation among the African American Highmark membership.

In the fall of 2007, Highmark and SilverSneakers partnered to offer a series of flu vaccine clinics at locations in minority neighborhoods. While the primary goal of these clinics was to increase the vaccination rate within the minority membership, the clinics were located at SilverSneakers sites in predominantly African American neighborhoods in order to increase awareness of the available fitness benefit to that particular population.

With the addition of the new participating locations and other outreach efforts, enrollment by African American members increased from 3.4 percent in July 2004 to 9.6 percent in February 2005 and 18.1 percent in March 2008. This rate is a four-fold increase over the enrollment rate for 2004. In addition, the March 2008 African American enrollment rate of 18.1 percent exceeded the enrollment rate of 17.5 percent for white members in the same time frame.

"Like many seniors, I do have hypertension and it's totally under control. I credit the combination of exercise and the medication I take," said Ann Kenderson, Highmark Medicare Advantage member, who is a SilverSneakers participant at the Kingsley Community Center. "Plus, my exercise routine has definitely helped me to control my weight and my stress. I am so thankful that Highmark understands the value of keeping me healthy by providing such a terrific fitness benefit."

Highmark was recognized at a ceremony in San Francisco, CA, on Sept. 18. The award, sponsored by The California Endowment with support from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and The Office of Minority Health, is part of NCQA's efforts to improve the quality of health care in the U.S. through development of a truly multicultural health care system.

For information about Highmark's initiatives and strategy to address health care disparities and improve quality of care, visit our Health Care Disparities press kit on http://www.highmark.com in the Newsroom.

About Highmark Inc.

As one of the leading health insurers in Pennsylvania, Highmark Inc.'s mission is to provide access to affordable, quality health care enabling individuals to live longer, healthier lives. Based in Pittsburgh, Highmark serves 4.6 million people through the company's health care benefits business. Highmark contributes millions of dollars to help keep quality health care programs affordable and to support community-based programs that work to improve people's health. Highmark exerts an enormous economic impact throughout Pennsylvania. A recent study states that Highmark's positive impact exceeded $2.5 billion. The company provides the resources to give its members a greater hand in their health.

Highmark Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. For more information, visit http://www.highmark.com.

About the Healthways SilverSneakers® Fitness Program

The SilverSneakers® Fitness Program is offered by Healthways, an industry leader providing specialized, comprehensive Health and Care Support(SM) solutions to help people maintain or improve their health. Founded in 1992, SilverSneakers is the nation's leading exercise program designed exclusively for Medicare members and offers an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially-oriented programming that allows older adults to take greater control of their health. The unique program is available at no additional cost (other than any medical plan premium) to eligible Medicare members and is currently offered in 49 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia at nearly 3,000 participating locations. For more information on SilverSneakers, call 480-783-9555 or visit http://www.silversneakers.com.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. For more information, visit http://www.ncqa.org.