Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) today announced that it has received a CAQH® Committee on Operating Rules for Information Exchange (CORE® ) Phase III Certification Seal, demonstrating its commitment to streamline the sharing of electronic billing information with its doctors, hospitals and other health care providers. Horizon BCBSNJ applied for CORE certification status because it supports CORE’s mission, collaborative industry approach and administrative simplification objectives.“Horizon is committed to reducing the administrative burden that adds costs and inefficiency to health care delivery, and we’re proud to be one of a few major health insurers in the nation to have earned the CAQH CORE Certification Seal for this final phase of compliance,” said Mark Barnard, Senior Vice President, Service Division, Horizon BCBSNJ.Organizations that meet criteria for each of three phases of CAQH’s operating rules receive a seal as certification of their compliance. In 2013, Horizon BCBSNJ achieved certification for CAQH CORE Phases I and II.CAQH, a nonprofit alliance of health plans and trade associations, developed CORE as a best practices approach to promote health plan-provider working relationships and improve provider access to administrative information they need to process claims and billing. The availability of information in real-time at the point of care can reduce medical errors, allow physicians and their patients to make informed decisions about treatment options and reduce administrative burdens.“Horizon recognizes the importance of technology in the health care experience of our 3.7 million members, so we’re pleased that our efforts to improve electronic provider transactions have been certified by the organization that set the standard for best practices in administrative data exchange,” said Douglas E. Blackwell, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Horizon BCBSNJ.“The CORE rules represent a cutting-edge approach to improving electronic communication between providers and payer organizations," said Robin J. Thomashauer, CAQH executive director. About Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New JerseyHorizon 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 and Blue Shield Association serving more than 3.7 million members.About CAQHCAQH serves as a catalyst for industry collaboration on initiatives that simplify healthcare administration for health plans and providers, resulting in a better care experience for patients and caregivers. CAQH solutions help promote quality interactions between plans, providers and other stakeholders, reduce costs and frustrations associated with healthcare administration, facilitate administrative healthcare information exchange and encourage administrative and clinical data integration. Visit www.caqh.org for more information.