Take 5 is a series in which we pose five questions to a Blue Cross associate and learn more about who they are, what they do, and how they help our members live their healthiest lives.

In this edition of Take 5, we talk with Nicole Nee, director of care management at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. Nicole supports several teams that directly interact with our members diagnosed with chronic conditions, including mental health issues, and social determinants of health needs such as food, housing and transportation.

Can you tell us a bit more about the care management team?

Many people might know the term care coordinator. Being a partner and an advocate is the best way to describe what we do. We are a team of clinicians and nurses that assess and share our experience with members via phone and email. We also have case managers who specialize in a certain area such as maternity, transplant, or oncology. Our number one priority is to advocate for our members and ensure they are not taking on any unnecessary burdens whenever possible.

What are some of the ways the care management team supports members?

Our job is to make getting the right care easy. We strive to learn what’s most important for our members and what health goals they might have. That includes helping our members understand their health condition and then how to maximize their benefits by identifying in-network providers and get the most out of their health plan. We talk with them about any procedures, hospitalizations, or health issues they are having. Additionally, we look at their medications and talk through what’s working and what’s not. It can sometimes feel overwhelming when you’re seeing several doctors and need to keep track of so much information. Ultimately, we connect the dots for members and ensure their team of providers and specialists is working together.

Prevention, maintaining healthy habits, and mental health support are also things the care management team works on with members. That's been important throughout the pandemic and really for everyone. We try to make sure you’ve got good, strong mental and emotional health so that you can then focus more on your physical health.

What does it mean to be a nurse at Blue Cross Blue Shield?

Often, when people think of a nurse, they picture a clinic or hospital setting. Even in nursing school, there’s a lot of focus on high acuity, bedside nursing in a hospital. However, there are so many other opportunities available to nurses today. We have more than 200 nurses as part of our telephonic care management team. They are on the phone connecting with members every day and working to understand the full picture of our members’ health—conditions they have, which providers they use, and additional resources they need. Since our nurses are one of the few member-facing associates here at Blue Cross, they are an integral part of the member’s care team which sometimes includes multiple care providers through clinics and hospitals. Our nurses will work with members for several weeks or several months so that relationship becomes super important for members.

Are members surprised when they learn about this resource?

Yes. People don't always understand it at first when they hear someone is calling from their insurance company. However, once they hear it’s a nurse, they’re usually much more receptive. Members have told my clinicians things like, ‘you know, I just wish I would have known you were here sooner,’ ‘this is such a great resource,’ and ‘I'm going to tell all my friends.’ So, once they do get working with us, it’s usually a very positive experience.

Can you share a time when you felt pride in the work that you and the team accomplished?

There are so many—it’s hard to pick just one especially given the last few years. However, one that comes to mind is a change we made to our service and support model about 18 months ago. While so much of our day to day is dialing out to members, we know there is a huge opportunity to support members dialing into Blue Cross each day. Therefore, we partnered with the customer service team and can now connect with and help members calling into us with health-related questions or concerns. Our members really value that when they call in to customer service, they also have a direct line to a nurse if they need it.

For more information, call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask to speak with a case manager.