OAKLAND, California, March 9, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Blue Shield of California President and CEO Paul Markovich has issued the following statement regarding new rules on data sharing issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS):

“The new federal rules issued today by CMS and ONC are a major milestone. The healthcare system in the U.S. needs to progress into the digital age so that care can be enhanced, costs can be reduced, medical providers can be more efficient and Americans can get timely access to their health information.

“We welcome the leadership that CMS Administrator Seema Verma, her team and the staff at ONC have displayed to develop these solutions. My team and I at Blue Shield of California are excited to work with federal officials and others in the industry to use these rules to create a healthcare system that is worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable.”

About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association with over 4 million members, 6,800 employees and more than $20 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $500 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation since 2002 to have an impact on California communities.

For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com.

Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

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SOURCE Blue Shield of California

GREENWICH, Connecticut, March 9, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Murphy Medical Associates today announced that Drive Thru testing for Novel Coronavirus SARS CoV2 and the disease COVID 19 will be offered at all locations. This process was inspired by South Korean physicians and public health specialists. “With record reduction in mortality rates, it was obvious we should be following Korean best practices. As physicians dedicated to keeping our patients healthy, we felt the need to deliver that care to all of Fairfield and Westchester Counties.” says Board Certified Internist Dr. Steven A. R. Murphy MD a Castle Connolly Top Doctor. Drive thru testing is an established procedure in South Korea and the United Kingdom but has not yet been implemented in the United States. Patients can sign up online to schedule testing or arrive at office between the hours of 7-9 AM at the offices located at 1 East Putnam Avenue in Greenwich, 2900 Main Street in Stratford and 30 Buxton Farms Rd in Stamford. By diagnosing cases via Drive Thru testing we keep the patient, the practice and the public safe.

“There’s less face-to-face contact,” said Lee Jae-joon, the mayor of Goyang in South Korea. “If you operate a testing site indoors, there is concern that suspected patients can infect each other in the waiting room.”

Drive Thru Testing at Murphy Medical Associates will be available starting 10 March 2020 and billed to the patients’ insurance. For more information on Drive Through Testing for Novel Corona Virus visit www.greenwichdocs.com

About: Murphy Medical Associates is a multispecialty group serving patients in Fairfield, New Haven Counties in Connecticut and Westchester County NY. Focused on prevention, our practice emphasizes early detection and prevention through advanced diagnostics including vascular ultrasound, allergy and toxicology, proteomic and genomic testing paired with dietary and environmental modification. Murphy Medical Associates provides care to patients of all ages and accepts most insurances including, Medicaid, Husky and Medicare. The practices also provides on-site and telemedicine employee and student health services for local corporations and schools.

Hannah Sutherland
Murphy Medical Associates
407-284-7946
[email protected]

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SOURCE Murphy Medical Associates

OAKLAND, California and SAN DIEGO, March 9, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Blue Shield of California has become the first health plan in the United States to cover rapid and ultra-rapid Whole Genome Sequencing to help critically ill babies and children in intensive care with unexplained medical conditions receive precision care.

Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine researchers have pioneered the fastest use of this advanced diagnostic technology to rapidly identify and decode the root causes of rare genetic disorders for some of the sickest infants and children hospitalized in intensive care across the country.

The Rady Children’s Institute team offers the quickest turnaround of genomic test results available nationwide, delivering a preliminary diagnosis in less than three days for medically urgent cases. The blood samples can be taken at any hospital and sent to Rady Children’s Institute for sequencing and analysis.

“Our system is optimized to identify or rule out most genetic diseases in a single test, and provide the medical team at the bedside with child-specific, disease-specific information so they can make better, faster medical decisions,” said Stephen Kingsmore, M.D., DSc, president and CEO of the Institute.

Whole genome sequencing scans a child’s entire genetic makeup for thousands of anomalies from a blood sample. Rady Children’s specialists also provide consultation to the medical team caring for the patient to offer targeted guidance that can enable timely and precise personalized care.

“We know that uncertainty and long testing wait times can create tremendous risks for children in intensive care, and anxiety for their families, all the while creating more challenges for physicians and specialists,” said Terry Gilliland, M.D., executive vice president of Healthcare Quality and Affordability at Blue Shield of California. “By providing our members with access to Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine’s pioneering work in rapid whole genome sequencing, we’re supporting them in what is often the most difficult time in their lives.”

Blue Shield members with Individual and Family Plans or employer-sponsored health plans who have a critically ill child, up to age 18, hospitalized in neonatal or pediatric intensive care at any location with an undiagnosed condition may be eligible.

This is the latest example of Blue Shield’s leadership in making the newest evidence-based medical technologies and services available to its members.

The nonprofit health plan also was the first insurer to cover confirmatory testing for members who received a positive Ashkenazi Jewish BRCA finding from consumer genetic-testing companies such as 23andMe, as well as prostate gene expression assays for patients with low risk prostate cancer, helping them to avoid unnecessary radiation treatment and surgical intervention.

Without medical insurance coverage, access to rapid Whole Genome Sequencing is often not readily available for many hospitalized children who could potentially benefit from this service.  Families in need of this care have often had to rely upon funding provided by private philanthropy and research grants to gain access to rapid Whole Genome Sequencing and associated precision care. 

“Genetic disease is a leading cause of infant death in the U.S. and Blue Shield is paving the way in providing coverage for this rapid, molecular diagnosis that can result in life-saving treatments,” Dr. Kingsmore said.

Located on the campus of Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, the Institute houses a state-of-the-art genome sequencing lab and employs a multi-disciplinary team of experts who specialize in providing timely and accurate guidance to physicians caring for children with rare genetic disease.

About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association with over 4 million members, 6,800 employees and more than $20 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $500 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation since 2002 to have an impact on California communities.

For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com.
Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

About Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine
The Institute is leading the way in advancing precision healthcare for infants and children through genomic and systems medicine research. Discoveries at the Institute are enabling rapid diagnosis and targeted treatment of critically ill newborns and pediatric patients at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and partner hospitals. The vision is to expand delivery of this life-saving technology to enable the practice of precision pediatric medicine at children’s hospitals across California, the nation and the world. RCIGM is a subsidiary of Rady Children’s Hospital and Health Center. Learn more at www.RadyGenomics.org. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Blue Shield of California