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Blue Cross NC reorganizing with parent company

The nonprofit insurer says the new structure will enable it to reorganize faster and more efficiently.
By Jeff Lagasse , Editor
Executives talking at a board table
Photo: Bloom Productions/Getty Images

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said recently that it will be modernizing its operational structure through the creation of CuraCor Solutions, a North Carolina-based nonprofit parent holding company whose subsidiaries will include Blue Cross NC.

The nonprofit insurer said the new structure will enable it to reorganize faster and more efficiently, with the holding company structure including Blue Cross NC and other fully owned companies.

This approach, said Blue Cross NC, will allow CuraCor and other companies to quickly partner and invest in new health programs and technologies.

CuraCor will be making strategic investments that support improved health and well-being of Blue Cross NC's members, the insurer said.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT

North Carolina's critical healthcare challenges, according to Blue Cross NC, include primary care shortages, access to care in rural communities and the need to advance health technologies. The insurer said that, under the new structure, it can direct more resources to address these challenges.

"Modernizing to form a diversified family of companies allows Blue Cross NC to serve its not-for-profit mission while remaining competitive in a dynamic market," the company said.

Blue Cross NC highlighted existing partnerships, including all North Carolina-based FastMed locations. Since the acquisition, Blue Cross NC said, FastMed has added primary care offerings and brought clinics to pre-pandemic staffing levels and hours, helping to prevent unnecessary ER visits.

"Blue Cross NC is now better positioned to meet consumers' evolving healthcare needs, and we will not stop until healthcare is better for all," said Dr. Tunde Sotunde, president and CEO of Blue Cross NC and CuraCor.

THE LARGER TREND

Blue Cross NC closed a deal to acquire 55 FastMed urgent care clinics in 2024, which the insurer said was meant to address the lack of providers in rural areas.

Blue Cross NC promised that FastMed, which provides a wide range of care options such as preventive, telehealth, occupational health, primary and urgent care, will continue to be a critical resource in North Carolina communities, including those facing provider shortages.

Like other healthcare providers, FastMed has felt the impacts of provider shortages that were magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic: Between 2016 and 2021, North Carolina lost about 9% of its direct care workforce. Blue Cross NC's short-term plans for FastMed include returning to pre-pandemic service operations and investing in ways to further enhance the patient experience.

Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.