Health Language Signs Agreement with Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Health Language’s web-based solution provides mapping, content management and real-world simulations to identify and mitigate risk.

Denver, March 31, 2011—Health Language, Inc. (HLI), the global leader in medical and administrative terminology management, announced that the Chicago-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has selected HLI as a preferred vendor to help Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies transition smoothly and efficiently from ICD-9 to ICD-10 by the Oct. 1, 2013, deadline mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). BCBSA selected HLI after a rigorous evaluation process based on its proven expertise, out-of-the box tools, and methodologies that will enable the Blue companies to increase mapping efficiency, improve outcomes, decrease errors, and optimize personnel, financial and operational resources.

HLI will offer LEAP I-10, which utilizes HLI’s flagship Language Engine® (LE) technology, to provide robust, powerful web-based tools that facilitate the transition to ICD-10. LEAP I-10 can create real-world migration simulations using Blue companies’ actual data from benefit plans, medical policies, provider contracts and other sources to assess the potential impact of the transition and identify risk mitigation options at a granular, actionable level. Based on the results of the initial GEMs mapping, custom maps that add or delete ICD-10 codes can easily be developed and tested to address individual Blue Plan’s needs as well as to evaluate payment neutrality and satisfy risk management requirements for BCBSA.

Language Engine® (LE): HLI’s flagship product, which has been in production for over a decade, provides enterprise terminology management services such as standard and custom mapping, modeling, analysis and local content management for more than 100 terminologies including ICD-9, ICD-10 and GEMs.

LEAP I-10: Based on the LE, LEAP I-10 is a web-based mapping module that was developed to help payers and providers prepare for, assess and pre-emptively address the financial, technology and operational impact of the transition to ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure code sets.

Over the past decade, HLI has achieved global dominance in medical terminology management by serving payers, providers, health information technology (HIT) vendors, government agencies and standards-setting organizations. Currently, HLI supplies technology and consulting to many of the top payers in the U.S. and worldwide. This includes health ministries in countries that have already converted to ICD-10, such as the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, and some that are already exploring ICD-11.

HLI also provides technology to all leading provider HIT vendors that use third-party tools to create, update and deploy clinical and administrative content. HLI’s technology and consulting services have been instrumental in successful ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversions including mapping, localized content management, and clinical and business outcome analysis.

About Health Language
Denver-based Health Language, Inc. (HLI) develops and delivers state-of-the-art software solutions that automatically incorporate medical vocabulary and coding standards into healthcare information technology (HCIT) applications. HLI’s Language Engine (LE) allows centralized access to medical terminology standards and generates mappings to create a common pool of standardized codes and concepts that enhance patient safety, facilitate clinical outcomes analysis and accelerate reimbursement. It also provides standards for modeling, storing, updating and distributing information consistently for interoperability between hospitals, regions and countries. For more information, visit www.healthlanguage.com or call 720-940-2900.

About the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 39 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for nearly 98 million members – one-in-three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, visit www.BCBS.com.