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New Features Provide Personalized Health Information
EAGAN, Minn., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- A majority of Minnesotans made New
Years resolutions to eat healthier, exercise more and lose weight.
Unfortunately, research shows that on average only about 20 percent of us keep
our New Years resolutions. With its revised BluePrint for Health wellness
center, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota can assist Minnesotans in
sticking to their resolutions in 2006.
The center is a Web-based health and wellness tool that helps members
easily manage health information and address health concerns even before they
develop. In addition to the thousands of articles on health and wellness, the
online wellness centers health managers can help users effectively manage
their health. Among the wealth of information on the Web, Blue Cross seeks to
fill the gap in making this information more relevant to the user by tailoring
online information and interactive programs according to a persons unique
interests and health risk.
Members looking to keep their New Years resolution to slim down can take
advantage of Meal and Exercise Trackers that show calories associated with
foods eaten and how many calories are burned during various exercises. For
those looking for ideas to make smart food choices, a Meal Planner provides
daily and weekly meal plans, including low-carb plans, along with an automatic
shopping list for the week.
"The new tools, content and format allows Blue Cross members to take
charge of their health -- from maintaining a healthy weight to managing a
chronic condition," said Dave Haerle, product manager for Blue Cross. "The
BluePrint for Health wellness center is more than just providing information
and facts -- it provides guidance to members based upon their individual
health needs of today and what those needs might be tomorrow."
After a quick registration process, members can create a Health Dashboard,
a tailored health home page that supplies specific health information and
tools that relate to the members health interests, conditions and concerns.
The Online Health Manager offers help for diabetes, heart health, asthma and
pregnancy, along with an arthritis and osteoporosis tracker.
An Online Health Coach includes tracking, staged levels and the ability to
manage fitness, nutrition, stress and smoking cessation. These programs can be
tailored to each members individual needs. In addition, members have access
to a secure electronic Personal Health Record to store personal and family
health records.
Those interested can visit the site at
http://www.bluecrossmn.com/blueprint .
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul
suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesotas first health plan and
continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, more
economical and timely availability of health services for the people of
Minnesota. A not-for-profit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest
health plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.6 million members in Minnesota and
nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliated
companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee
of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago. Go to
http://www.bluecrossmn.com to learn more about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Minnesota.
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