(Newark, NJ – May 1, 2015) -- Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (BCBSNJ) today announced that for the second consecutive year, the company has been selected as one of the nation’s top business technology innovators, ranking #75 in the annual InformationWeek Elite 100. Horizon received the award during ceremonies this week in Las Vegas.

“Horizon is committed to using smart technology to better serve our 3.8 million members and conduct business efficiently, so we are deeply gratified to be recognized as a leading national innovator,” said Douglas Blackwell, Horizon BCBSNJ’s senior vice president and chief information officer. Earlier this year, Horizon BCBSNJ was similarly honored as a 2015 Digital Edge 25 company.

Horizon BCBSNJ’s ranking among the InformationWeek Elite 100 was made on the strength of the company’s implementation of the Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) program. Initiated in July 2014, the program offers home-based care for eligible Medicaid members in Horizon’s subsidiary company, Horizon NJ Health. Through the program, Horizon equipped care managers with mobile technology to help them serve NJ Health members in their homes.

“With our MLTSS program, Horizon has taken an entirely new approach to ensure excellence in service,” said Erhardt Preitauer, Horizon BCBSNJ’s senior vice president, government programs, and Horizon NJ Health CEO. “By thinking outside the box, we custom-built all the right technology and processes in a very aggressive timeline, and ensured that our passionate and dedicated team members were technically equipped to perform.”

This is InformationWeek’s 27th year identifying and honoring the nation's most innovative users of information technology. For the past 15 years, Horizon BCBSNJ has earned a place on at least one of the magazine’s annual recognition lists, including the last two years as an Elite 100 honoree. For 2015, the underlying theme of the 2015 Elite 100 awards program focused on "IT Without Borders"; how the most astute IT executives are tearing down traditional borders inside their companies and putting next generation technologies such as data analytics, social and ubiquitous networking at the center of every function in the organization. Additional details on the InformationWeek Elite 100 can be found online at http://www.informationweek.com/elite100.

About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state’s oldest and largest health insurer is a tax-paying, not-for-profit health service corporation, providing a wide array of medical, dental, and prescription insurance products and services. Horizon BCBSNJ is leading the transformation of health care in New Jersey by working with doctors and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that reward the quality, not quantity, of care patients receive. Learn more at www.HorizonBlue.com. Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association serving more than 3.8 million members.

About InformationWeek

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