Anthem Blue Cross Launches iPhone App, Women's Site

Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Anthem Blue Cross has launched two new interactive initiatives.

The Anthem Blue Cross Grocery Guide for Better Health is a free application for the iPhone with information on more than 100,000 unique, branded food and beverage products, including key nutritional facts and how that product compares nutritionally with other products within the same category.

"Today people are busier than ever before and the trip to the grocery store can feel like just one more chore to race through and check off your list, but the choices you make can impact the health of your family for the entire week," said Pam Kehaly, president of Anthem Blue Cross, in a statement. "Our hope is that this tool will make choosing the healthiest foods for your family a little easier."

Designed to simulate grocery store aisles, the Anthem Grocery Guide lets users browse the virtual aisles of their iPhone for the most nutritional food choices. For example, to find the best yogurt, users select the dairy aisle and click on the yogurt icon. It also features a brand search function, and a way to build and share grocery lists.

Meanwhile, the women's site, at healthywoman.anthem.com provides heath care answers, information and resources for women.

"We recognize that the lives of today's women are filled with work, friends and family. At Anthem, we wanted to develop a place that's just for them," Kehaly adds. "This dynamic new site is all about women's health, and it can help women in California feel, and become their healthy best."

Content for both the app and the site was developed with help from SmartNow, a company that develops mobile- and Web-based health programs.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio