Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana Earns NCQA Accreditation Status of 'Excellent'

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana Earns NCQA Accreditation Status
of 'Excellent'

INDIANAPOLIS- November 4, 2009 - Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced
today that its Indiana plan has maintained the accreditation status of
"Excellent" from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

NCQA is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to assessing and
reporting on the quality of managed care plans, managed behavioral healthcare
organizations, preferred provider organizations, new health plans, physician
organizations, credentials verification organizations, disease management
programs and other health-related programs.

Anthem's accreditation status -- the highest possible level -- is based on a
voluntary review of how a health plan ensures that its members are receiving
high quality care.

"NCQA's Excellent Accreditation is reserved for the best health plans in the
nation," said Margaret E. O'Kane, president of NCQA. "It is only awarded to
those plans that meet or exceed NCQA's rigorous requirements for consumer
protection and quality improvement and deliver excellent clinical care."

The initial NCQA Accreditation survey process includes on- and off-site
evaluations of more than 60 standards and selected HEDIS® performance measures
conducted by a team of physicians and managed care experts. Maintenance of
status is based on 2009 HEDIS results. HEDIS is a tool used by more than 90
percent of America's health plans to measure performance on important
dimensions of care and service.

"We are an organization committed to continuous quality improvement, and I
believe that has again been validated by NCQA," said Robert W. Hillman,
president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana. "Anthem is proud to
have improved both its CAHPS® member satisfaction and HEDIS® effectiveness of
care scores in the 2009 collection of these measures. We have a long and
proud tradition of ensuring that our members receive high-quality service.
Receiving objective recognition of that is rewarding for all of us."

*CAHPS(R) is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (AHRQ).
*HEDIS(R) is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality
Assurance (NCQA).

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Insurance
Companies, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association. ® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies,
Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of
the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem
Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana is available at www.anthem.com.

Media Contact: Tony Felts
317-287-6036

/PRNewswire -- Nov. 4/

SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana