Horizon BCBS Of NJ Raises Flag In SJ

Mt. Laurel: On Tuesday, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) officially opened its South Jersey Headquarters Building in Mt. Laurel, initially bringing up to 500 jobs to the region.

The occasion was commemorated by the raising of the Horizon BCBSNJ flag on a 40-foot flagpole at the 88,000 square foot, four-story facility. It is located at Interchange Place, within the Century Corporate Center located at Route 73 and the New Jersey Turnpike. On hand to celebrate were many of the employees who will work from the facility.

“This building not only represents our presence in this part of New Jersey, but also our commitment to provide people in South Jersey with the best options and service possible in support of their healthcare needs,” said William J. Marino, President and Chief Executive Officer of Horizon BCBSNJ. “We feel that bringing our operations closer to our South Jersey members is just one more way we are Making Healthcare Work for our customers.”

The opening of the South Jersey Headquarters also heralds the start of relationships with four local health providers, allowing Horizon BCBSNJ members to be treated within their networks. Those providers include: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children. These agreements join a previously signed agreement between Horizon BCBSNJ and Virtua Health, the largest health care provider in South Jersey with five hospitals located throughout Camden, Burlington and Gloucester counties.

According to Marino, many of Horizon BCBSNJ’s largest national accounts will be serviced from the South Jersey Headquarters, including American Home Products Corporation, Chubb Corporation, Dun & Bradstreet Corporation, Pharmacia Corporation, Savin (a subsidiary of Ricoh Corporation) and WebMD.

The South Jersey Headquarters will be a full-service operation, performing functions such as sales and accounting, customer service operations, provider relations and utilization management. Horizon BCBSNJ has been in operation for 70 years in New Jersey, headquarted in Newark. The opening of the South Jersey headquarters represents the first dual-headquarter relationship in company history.

More than one-third of Horizon BCBSNJ subscribers live in South Jersey and the number is growing, Marino said. Two components of Horizon the company’s growth plan were accomplished with the opening of the South Jersey headquarters and the increased network of affiliated hospital providers.

“We could not have found a better location. Not only can we be easily accessed from the Turnpike, Route 295 and other major roads, but we are also near a well-educated and highly qualified local labor market,” said Francis X. Fee, Horizon BCBSNJ’s vice president regional executive.

A third component, according to Marino, is the recent joint venture between Horizon BCBSNJ and AtlantiCare Health Plans—a 30,000 square foot building with 115 employees in Hammonton, Atlantic County. The Hammonton office increases healthcare options and strengthens local service for commercial and public sector customers in Atlantic, Cumberland and Cape May counties.

About 200 of the employees who will work at Horizon BCBSNJ’s South Jersey Headquarters will be new hires.

Fee added Horizon BCBSNJ is becoming significantly involved with South Jersey-based community causes—including its sponsorship of youth league sports teams and local versions of the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk.

“In the coming year, we will also introduce a point of service “home” capability so that Pennsylvania residents employed by New Jersey companies can access local Pennsylvania providers,” Fee said.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is the state's largest health care insurer, providing coverage to more than 2.5 million people. The company has annual revenues of over $4.9 billion. For more information about Horizon BCBSNJ, please visit the company's web site at www.horizon-bcbsnj.com.

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