CHICAGO) – June 18, 2008 – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) and Advocate Health Care have reached an agreement that renews all of their contractual relationships through 2010. The newly signed contract will include all of the Advocate hospitals and expand to include Libertyville’s Condell Medical Center if its expected integration into Advocate Health Care is approved by federal and state agencies later this year.  

“Blue Cross is pleased to continue its longstanding relationship with Advocate, as both of our organizations have focused on providing our members quality care and our customers great value,” Kevin O’Neill, BCBSIL’s senior vice president, Health Care Management, said.

“Our renewed contract with Blue Cross joins Illinois’ largest health insurance company and Advocate, its largest health care provider, in an effort to provide people throughout the area with a visionary approach to quality and value” Lee Sacks, MD, president of Advocate Physician Partners, said. “Together, we will continue our efforts to provide excellent care and service to the patients and members we serve.”

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
With more than 7 million members, BCBSIL is the largest health insurance company in Illinois.  Started in 1936, BCBSIL is committed to promoting the health and wellness of its members and its communities through accessible, cost-effective, quality health care.  BCBSIL is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), a Mutual Legal Reserve Company.  HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

About Advocate Health Care
Oak Brook-based Advocate Health Care, the largest health care provider in Illinois, is ranked among the nation’s top health care systems. A faith-based, non-profit system, Advocate is related to both the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ. Advocate’s 200-plus sites of care in metropolitan Chicago include eight hospitals, and two children's hospitals, a home health care company and four of Chicago’s largest medical groups. Through its academic and teaching affiliations, Advocate trains more resident physicians than does any non-university teaching hospital in Illinois.

About Advocate Physician Partners
Advocate Physician Partners is the care management and managed care contracting joint venture between Advocate Health Care and select physicians on the medical staffs of Advocate hospitals. With a physician network that includes more than 900 primary care physicians and 2,000 specialists, Advocate Physician Partners is focused on improving health care quality and outcomes - while reducing the overall cost of care - in both the inpatient and ambulatory settings. Advocate Physician Partners’ award-winning clinically integrated approach to patient care utilizes best practices in evidence-based medicine, advanced technology and quality improvement techniques.

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