CareFirst to offer mobile apps to manage health

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has jumped head-first into the deep waters of mobile health. The health insurance giant has selected Cognizant, a mobile communication company, to provide a platform for getting mobile apps to its 3.3 million members.

Cognizant will help CareFirst offer its members "quick, secure and convenient ways" to manage their health coverage, access information about physicians and claims, and get information about benefits anytime, on any device, according to Cognizant officials in a news release.

"Our move into the mobile space is driven by the growing significance of mobility in the overall connected health effort," said Harry D. Fox, senior vice-president for technical and operational support services at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. "The ubiquity of smartphones and tablet devices, while rapidly changing customer expectations and operational needs, presents a powerful direct link for us to connect with our members and for our members to better manage their health care."

Under this engagement, Cognizant is working with CareFirst to establish a direct connection with its members, to provide them quick, secure and convenient ways to manage their health coverage, access information about physicians and claims, and obtain details about benefits anytime, anywhere using smartphones and tablets.

Cognizant will leverage its Mobility Testing Lab in Phoenix, Ariz., for on-demand, cloud-based testing of the mobile applications across multiple devices and carriers, helping CareFirst save time and infrastructure maintenance costs, according to Cognizant.

"We are pleased to be working with CareFirst," said Krish Venkat, executive vice president of Cognizant's Healthcare and Life Sciences practice. "With our deep expertise in SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) technology architectures, we look forward to conceptualizing, architecting and implementing next-generation mobile capabilities for CareFirst to help transform the way the company engages with its members."

This engagement further expands Cognizant's relationship with CareFirst, through which Cognizant is delivering business consulting, systems integration, and application development solutions to support CareFirst's strategic initiatives, including mandates around regulatory compliance.