From insight to impact 

Turning data into action isn’t just about analysis—it’s about precision, timing, and relevance. It begins with capturing raw data, enriching it with advanced analytics, and translating it into insights that matter. But the real power lies in delivering those insights to the right people, at the right moment, to drive meaningful decisions. 

Through its long-standing partnership with Truven, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama (BCBSAL) has harnessed the full potential of Health Insights, leveraging advanced analytic groupers, evidence-based measures, and predictive models to align intelligence with departmental priorities.  

This strategic integration has empowered teams across the organization to make smarter decisions, streamline operations, and accelerate progress toward key goals. By embedding Health Insights analytics into its core processes, BCBSAL has cultivated a culture of proactive, data-driven management—maximizing the value of every analytic enrichment. 

Breaking down data silos: Why insight alone isn’t enough 

In today’s healthcare landscape, data is everywhere, but too often, it’s trapped in silos, disconnected from the people who need it most. Having insights is only half the battle. The real value comes when those insights are timely, actionable, and placed directly into the hands of decision-makers, whether that’s a care manager, provider, or account group. Breaking down data barriers and building intelligent delivery pipelines is essential for turning information into impact. 

Over 10 years ago, BCBSAL faced a critical challenge: navigating vast volumes of data without a clear picture of its member population. Even identifying members in a consistent manner across the organization with chronic conditions—like diabetes—was difficult, let alone engaging them effectively. Communication gaps were compounded by limited internal expertise in building HEDIS measure sets, making it hard to translate raw data into meaningful action. To bridge this gap, BCBSAL needed a strategic partner that could help transform its data into targeted insights that would drive meaningful engagement with members, providers, and account groups. 

BCBSAL partnered with Truven to implement Health Insights, a comprehensive healthcare analytics solution designed to help organizations turn complex healthcare data into actionable insights. It aggregates data across multiple sources—such as claims, eligibility, and clinical records—and applies advanced intelligence, including predictive models, analytic groupers, and evidence-based measures, to support faster, more confident decision-making across teams. 

BCBSAL recognized the need to use Health Insights’ intelligence across the organization, making sure that it fed its own internal tools and workflows, pushing Health Insights  directly to the people who need it most and answering questions they can act on. Whether it’s a care manager identifying gaps in care, an account group evaluating plan performance, or a provider tracking quality metrics, timely and targeted delivery turns insights into strategic tools.   

[getModule name="blockquote" quote="The Truven data and its integration is central to our approach to data-driven decision making. The methods and models effectively enhance predictive accuracy and our operational efficiency.” author="Becky Patterson, Director Healthcare Analytics, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama"]

Activating intelligent extracts across the enterprise 

BCBSAL partnered with Truven to co-develop a suite of Health Insights data and methodology extracts—known as Intelligent Extracts—spanning multiple data domains. These extracts are generated by the Truven team and delivered to BCBSAL, where they’re seamlessly integrated into downstream systems and workflows. Designed with end users in mind, each extract is tailored to answer the specific questions stakeholders need to address. While the questions may vary by department and business need, the use of consistent definitions for chronic conditions, care gaps, and predictive risk ensures a unified, enterprise-wide source of truth. 

In addition to the Health Insights extracts, the team determined that some of the insights required more frequent data refreshes due to the time-sensitive nature of the insight itself.  For example, Medicare Advantage Star measures, used to assess the quality of Medicare Advantage plans, and Service Categories for financial and utilization metrics, needed more frequent updating. BCBSAL and Truven deployed Truven’s Flexible Analytics, allowing users to run any of the analytic models on demand for more frequent updates.       

BCBSAL integrated critical data elements from the Intelligent Extracts and Flexible Analytics into its account group, member, and provider engagement strategies. This included: 

• Coupling data with existing elements to drive member engagement strategies
• Providing member-facing and group-facing data on performance
• Supporting Value-Based Care programs by equipping providers with necessary information
• Offering self-service Group Insights for compliance and quality measures 

Care management	Account groups	Providers	Members
400+ pieces of data received each month.	On demand, self-service reporting for account groups.	Helps providers evaluate member health, cost, and quality.	Truven data helps power digital member outreach.
Includes member demographics, quality measures, gaps in care, attributed providers, episode and condition indicators for every BCBSAL member, sourced from Truven.	Reflects cost, utilization, enrollment, and clinical information sourced from Truven.	Serves both Commercial & Medicare Advantage provider networks.	Sourced from Quality Measure results, Gaps in Care, and chronic conditions.
Key component in integration strategy.	Delivers deeper insight and narrative around chronic disease, claims experience, utilization, and cost drivers - showcases value and drives strategy.	Delivers Health Risk 360, CMS risk, Star Measure scoring, risk recapture, and attribution data. Information used to create this solution is sourced from Truven data.	BCBSAL integrates this data with multiple member-centric point solutions. Examples: - Preventative postcards for cancer screenings. - Chronic condition newsletters.

 

Overcoming obstacles 

Implementing these extracts came with its share of complexities. BCBSAL had to carefully manage data alignment, timing, and documentation, all while striving to improve efficiency across the board. Truven’s partnership was instrumental in navigating these hurdles—ensuring accurate, timely data delivery and providing critical operational support. 

[getModule name="blockquote" quote="BCBSAL’s  innovative partnership with Truven is a masterclass in translating vision into action. By unlocking data’s true potential through Health Insights’ Intelligent Extracts and Flexible Analytics, they’ve not only broken down silos but built an enterprise-wide culture of precision, proactive decision-making, and impact.” author="Marcy Tatsch, Truven GM"]

Real results: Data-driven impact at every level 

The rollout of Intelligent Extracts has delivered tangible, measurable benefits for BCBSAL. One of the most notable outcomes has been a marked improvement in Medicare Advantage Star ratings—an indicator of enhanced care quality and performance that drives revenue and membership growth. 

But the impact goes deeper. By equipping both members and providers with timely, actionable insights, BCBSAL has elevated the overall quality of care. The Care Management extracts have played a pivotal role in boosting HEDIS compliance by helping members to get the care they need. These improvements reflect more than just cost savings—they represent better health outcomes and more informed care delivery. 

The ripple effect has extended to BCBSAL’s relationships with account groups. With robust dashboards and clear, data-backed visuals, accounts can now easily assess the health metrics of their populations and see the full value of their BCBSAL relationship. This transparency has strengthened trust, fostered more strategic conversations, and empowered accounts to make smarter, faster decisions based on aggregated claims data with advanced methodologies. 

[getModule name="blockquote" quote="BCBSAL’s strategic integration reflects a deep commitment to advancing member outcomes, supporting providers, and delivering measurable value across the healthcare spectrum. It’s a standout example of what happens when insight meets intention.” author="Kevin Ruane, Sr. Director, Analytic Advisory, Truven"]

Conclusion 

BCBSAL’s partnership with Truven has proven that when data is transformed into insight—and insight into action—the results speak for themselves. Through the development of Intelligent Extracts and Flexible Analytics, BCBSAL has elevated care management and operational efficiency and empowered account groups, members, and providers with the tools to make smarter, more informed health decisions. 

This collaboration is a powerful example of how data, when thoughtfully applied, can drive measurable improvements in healthcare quality, performance, and trust. It’s not just about managing information—it’s about unlocking its full potential to shape better outcomes for everyone involved. 

[getModule name="blockquote" quote="With streamlined integration, insights are generated faster to the right audience, reducing the lag between data and answers. ​This agility is invaluable for supporting the decision-making that underlays our customer-first approach to optimizing outcomes for our members.” author="Becky Patterson, Director Healthcare Analytics, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama "]