The Chicago Health Executives Forum recognized NorthShore University HealthSystem, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Epic for the companies' joint payer platform.
During the forum, held virtually Feb. 18, the companies received the Innovations Award, which honors the accomplishments of healthcare teams that have "inspired leadership, change and advancement in the Chicago area healthcare community."
In December 2020, Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore deployed the BCBSIL Payer Platform with Epic. The platform connects health information between the insurer and provider. NorthShore was the first health system in Illinois to implement the platform, which it did in less than 60 days. The platform aims to improve patient data sharing and prior authorization processes.
Krishna Ramachandran, vice president of provider performance at BCBSIL, said in a Feb. 18 news release that "while there is still a lot of work ahead — the future of our healthcare system depends on strengthening partnerships that harness data across systems and deliver insights in real time. Partnerships like this one — help us get closer."