Innovative Solutions

From placing bilingual care coordinators in local laundromats to provide immediate support, to offering virtual primary care through the CloseKnit for same-day visits, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan Maryland (CareFirst CHPMD)—the fastest-growing Medicaid plan in Maryland—has reimagined access to healthcare. Our transformative initiatives are designed to meet members exactly when and where they need care.

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CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has launched an interactive storefront at Junior Achievement Finance Park in Prince George's County. This community health initiative educates students on how their choices and societal factors impact their well-being.

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CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has supported the CIAA Tournament since its Baltimore debut in 2022. In 2025, the tournament generated over 1,300 jobs and $32 million in local economic impact. CareFirst's involvement included nearly 100 volunteers and hosting the Health & Mental Wellness Summit, emphasizing the importance of community health partnerships and holistic health.

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CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield hosted a maternal health summit in April, bringing together healthcare providers, policy advocates and community leaders. The event focused on solutions to the maternal health crisis, featuring workshops, discussions and a $1.4 million investment in the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund to support local organizations.

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Today’s workforce has shifted significantly, with more employers offering work-from-home opportunities to provide employees greater flexibility to choose where they live, work and play. With BlueChoice Advantage 2.0, employers can meet their employees’ evolving needs without sacrificing the ability to offer quality, affordable care.

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Dori Henderson, Chief Digital Information Officer (CDIO) at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), identifies as a business technologist—leveraging technology investment to drive strategic success.

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IT teams at healthcare companies like CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield can integrate artificial intelligence (AI) tools to streamline operations across various departments, from claims processing to member services. But at what risk? Chief Information Officer Dori Henderson shares her top five AI risk assessment framework criteria.

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The more connected we become in today’s digital world, taking steps to safeguard ourselves is more critical than ever. That’s why staying informed and taking proactive measures to keep potential threats from becoming real problems is essential—for all of us.

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CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield’s (CareFirst) mission is to advance affordable, accessible, equitable and quality healthcare for the people we serve, and every aspect of our mission addresses a key challenge people face when interacting with the healthcare ecosystem that can be supported through technology and innovation. Brian D. Pieninck, President and CEO of CareFirst, joined HIMSSCast, the Healthcare IT News Podcast, to discuss social drivers of health (SDOH) interventions and healthcare innovation’s role in addressing key challenges across the healthcare industry.

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In our ongoing commitment to creating a healthier and more sustainable future, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has initiated several innovative programs that address the pressing environmental challenges of our time including emissions, food security, water access, housing stability and economic mobility.

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A drastically changing environment can have severe impacts on public health. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is proud to continue acting on sustainability and is taking intentional steps to address our organization’s environmental impact to drive long-term, positive impact for our communities.

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In an era where the intersections of health, environment and social equity are more critical than ever, the conversation around social drivers of health (SDOH) continues to be critical to addressing public health. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield recognizes that health is not merely the absence of illness, but a holistic state influenced by various social and environmental factors.

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For many employers, managing healthcare costs is an ongoing, strategic imperative that can significantly impact both the health of their bottom line and the health of their employees. Exploring new solutions to help alleviate the pressure of rising costs is a critical function—one that CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is committed to supporting. Our latest innovation, for instance, is a fully insured funding arrangement called Max Performance Plus, and it can deliver potential savings to help employers manage risk and maintain financial stability.

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Mike Rapach, President and CEO of CareFirst Community Health Plan Maryland (CHPMD) joined Scene Health Co-Founder and CEO, Sebastian Seiguer to discuss a variety of topics, including CareFirst CHPMD’s partnership with Scene Health, the importance of medication adherence, the evolution of the Medicare and Medicaid landscape and more.

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CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) proudly hosted the American Heart Association’s pitch competition for participants of their first-ever EmPOWERED to Serve Business AcceleratorTM focused exclusively on Maryland Black Farmers. Five participants pitched their ideas to a panel of judges in a grand finale event at CareFirst’s Canton Crossing headquarters for a chance at additional grant funding to grow and scale their businesses.

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Healthcare innovation plays a large role in furthering CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield’s (CareFirst) mission in advancing affordable, accessible, equitable and quality healthcare. Finding new and unique solutions to healthcare’s toughest challenges requires bright minds and the leadership of those willing to push boundaries. Much of the work done to innovate healthcare at CareFirst is spearheaded by Ricardo R. Johnson. CareFirst proudly celebrates Ricardo R. Johnson and his recognition as a 2024 Modern Healthcare 40 Under 40 honoree.

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The connection between employee health and workplace productivity is more evident than ever, and it is crucial to recognize the significance of fostering a workplace culture that is inclusive of our health and prioritizes wellbeing on all fronts—physical, mental, behavioral, social, and financial.

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Through Healthworx and 1501 Health, we collaborate with organizations and entrepreneurs to address challenges in the healthcare industry or create new solutions to provide high-quality care. These organizations also explore innovative opportunities to bring solutions to CareFirst members to address their unique, diverse challenges.

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Doba Parushev, Vice President of Healthworx, spoke with WTOP News about how Healthworx operates within the broader CareFirst mission, vision and strategy to transform healthcare to best serve members and the community.

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Through a new partnership with Baltimore-based company Scene Health, CareFirst Community Health Plan of Maryland members now have access to Spotlight, a digital medication support program that helps members with medication adherence. Scene Health is a Healthworx portfolio company and shares CareFirst’s vision of patient-centered care while encouraging individuals to take an active role in their health.

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In 2022, CareFirst contributed $24 million to support 358 nonprofit organizations and 400,000 individuals throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

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Earlier this year, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) sponsored the DC Chamber of Commerce Health Policy Forum. The virtual event brought together policymakers, healthcare institutions, the provider community, human resource professionals and private sector companies to explore the future of Washington, D.C.'s healthcare workforce.

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Mary Jane Favazza, CEO of CloseKnit, and Mike Bautista, Director of Communications, Healthworx, recently spoke with Technical.ly about the launch of CloseKnit—a new virtual-first, primary care practice.

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Healthcare payers constantly look to lower costs while still providing excellent care and service to member populations. Ricardo Johnson, CareFirst Executive Vice President of Enterprise Strategy and Healthworx, spoke with Parie Garg, Ph.D., and Rahu Ekbot from Oliver Wyman on the importance of innovation to better serve health plan members. Through investment, partnerships and building startups, Healthworx drives innovation of products and services to lower costs and improve health outcomes.

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Through the 1501 Health program, Even Health gained access to mentorship from experts at CareFirst, including Director of Behavioral Health Services Oleg Tarkovsky and Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Mack McGee.

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Arianne Graham, Director of Innovation for Healthworx, the corporate development and innovation arm of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, recently wrote an article for the Baltimore Business Journal on the importance of innovation in healthcare and why investing in innovation yields opportunities for a variety of stakeholders.

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COVID-19 has taught us that strategic coalitions can bring enormous value to the public, rapidly and efficiently. CareFirst’s most recent coalition with Highmark delivers health benefits to market specifically designed for labor unions.

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Earlier this year, Healthworx and LifeBridge Health welcomed their first cohort of startup companies to 1501 Health. Learn more about the cohort and the common thread that connects them—equity.

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Brian Wheeler, Vice President of Provider Collaboration and Network Transformation for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, spoke with Health Leaders Media on the FFS chassis and the billing process. This platform is still how many services are billed, and VBC is struggling to remove itself from this model.

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Ricardo R. Johnson shares insights on why the future of healthcare cannot rely on one person or organization finding a magic formula for life-long health post-launch of the inaugural In the Worx magazine.

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Industry experts recently addressed the processes required to make value-based contracting as seamless and organized as possible during a webinar hosted by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

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Health Evolution sat down with industry leaders, including CareFirst’s President and CEO, Brian D. Pieninck, to talk about data sharing in the healthcare industry and how it can be used in the future.

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In the second part of a two-part Q&A series, Brian Wheeler, Vice President of Provider Collaboration and Network Transformation, discusses how Value-Based Care prioritizes quality over volume.

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In our first ever podcast, Brian Wheeler, Vice President of Provider Collaboration and Network Transformation discusses how CareFirst is investing in Value-Based Care.

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CareFirst’s Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, David Kaercher, shares the importance of technology in a national vaccine distribution strategy.

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Laura Patterson, Venture Capital, Healthworx, recently shared insights surrounding three behavioral health trends worth our attention as we consider additional investments into solutions seeking to improve the coordination and delivery of behavioral health.

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What do digital equity and health equity have in common? More than you think.

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Find out how the innovation and investment arm of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is helping healthcare startups bring big ideas to the market.

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A panel of national experts, moderated by CareFirst’s President and CEO, Brian D. Pieninck, share their perspectives on the national movement from volume- to value-based care.

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Breaking the prescription drug cost curve means partnering with organizations who are as equally passionate about promoting greater transparency and competition as we are.

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