Blue Shield of California’s Virtual Blue Plan continues to deliver positive results for enrolled members, including a 7% to 10% reduction in overall treatment costs, the insurer announced Thursday.
The Virtual First program first launched in 2023 in collaboration with Accolade and TeleMed2U and has more than 150,000 members to date. This allows members to access numerous virtual health services at no additional charge, as well as receive care from providers within Blue Shield’s PPO network.
Tim Reeve, Blue Shield of California’s senior vice president of commercial markets, said in a statement that the platform is “a win for our members, employers and Blue Shield’s mission.”
“Members can get appointments faster and save on co-pays. Employers can provide more equitable access across demographics. And as a not-for-profit health plan, we are committed to providing high-quality, affordable care to all Californians,” Reeve said.
The insurer, citing data from the California Department of Managed Care, said the program’s average wait times are “significantly higher than” California’s overall in-person average. Patients are waiting 10 days for an in-person appointment, compared to a one-day wait for members seeking primary care. Wait times for specialty care were also reduced: 15 days for in-person care, compared to 3 days for virtual blues.
Additionally, emergency room visits are down more than 10% among Virtual Blue members, with 60% of members saying they would have relied on more expensive treatments such as the emergency room without a plan in place.
Virtual Blue has also expanded access to health care in rural areas, the insurer said.
As the program continues to demonstrate benefits for members, the insurer recently added a virtual primary care option to its Trio HMO plans. The company also plans to continue adding Virtual Blue as an option in “more group employer plans in the coming months.”
“Virtual first care expands access and fills critical health care gaps,” Dr. Carol Coble, regional medical director for Blue Shield of California, said in a statement. “We support busy families, shift workers, people with mobility challenges, people living in areas with provider shortages or disaster risk, and everyone in between.”
