Regence BlueCross BlueShield Cited for Project Management Excellence

Center for Business Practices names finalists for 2009 PMO of the Year award

PORTLAND, Ore., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Regence BlueCross BlueShield recently
received one of the five finalist awards in the 2009 PMO of the Year awards
from the Center for Business Practices. Regence shared honors with Cisco
Services, the Australian Stock Exchange, Alcatel-Lucent and the 2009 winner,
Rockwell Automation.

The Center's annual award is an international "showcase" for project
management offices (PMO) whose excellence and innovation in project management
have realized tangible business benefits for their organizations.

"Regence's enterprise program management office (EPMO) plays a critical role
in achieving the company's vision of health care transformation," said Jo Anne
Long, who leads the team. "Step by step, project by project, the EPMO team has
kept us focused on the vision of a changed health care system."

Regence's EPMO was created five years ago to coordinate the execution of large
projects -- from finance to computer platforms to insurance products -- that
support the company's business goals. Since its inception, the EPMO has grown
into a 125-person-team that has delivered more than 100 projects, with
increasing success each year as measured by standard project management
metrics of scope, schedule, resources and budget.

"This honor recognizes the remarkable progress we've made as a company," said
Long. "In just over five years, we've assembled a team with top-flight project
management skills and established a robust set of standard methods for project
and program management. The team is very deserving of this recognition."

About Regence
Regence is the largest health insurer in the Northwest / Intermountain Region,
offering health, life and dental insurance. Regence serves nearly three
million members as Regence BlueShield (in Washington), Regence BlueCross
BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence
BlueShield of Idaho. Each health plan is a nonprofit independent licensee of
the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Regence is committed to improving
the health of our members and our communities, and to transforming our health
care system. For more information, please visit www.regence.com.

SOURCE Regence

Joanna Burke of Regence, +1-503-225-6860, jcburke@regence.com