a personal health risk profile that provides personalized reports and action plans targeted to the member's individual risk factors to help them adopt healthier behaviors;lifestyle improvement programs on nutrition, smoking cessation, exercise, weight management, and stress management;a treatment cost estimator that helps members estimate costs for hundreds of common conditions, procedures, tests, and health care visits;the WebMD Medical Encyclopedia, which explains medical terms in an easy-to-understand, consumer-friendly manner;physician and hospital finder tools enable members to find participating providers and compare hospitals by location and quality outcomes.

Employer group customers, more than ever before, are asking IBC for help in promoting healthy lifestyles in order to help them manage health costs, Dr. Udvarhelyi explained. Member empowerment in health care ties directly to the bottom line. He said employers are 'getting it' and want to encourage their employees to take an active role in changing behaviors and managing their health.

IBC's enhanced consumer website is free, easy to use, and secure. In addition to the enhanced features, members will still be able to:

review claims and obtain tax-year reports;view payment responsibility reports, which show how much IBC paid for a claim and any amounts the member may owe;request and print temporary ID cards;view and print referrals as needed.

"With enhanced consumer tools available 24/7 for self-service, IBC is striving for optimum member health which results in better quality of life and ultimately medical cost savings," Dr. Udvarhelyi added. "In addition to our enhanced ibxpress, we offer many other programs and services to help members take a more active role in their health and become better informed health care consumers."

SOURCE Independence Blue Cross