Independence Blue Cross Expands Social Effort to Mobile with Pedometer App

Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross (IBX) has released the IBX Healthy Steps Pedometer for the iPhone and Android devices. The app is part of the larger, social media-focused Healthy Steps member wellness campaign.

“We are putting technology to work to enhance our members’ health and the wellness of the people we serve,” Daniel J. Hilferty, president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross, says in a statement. “Using social networking, including Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging, we’re connecting our members to information and innovative programs that will help them lead healthier lives. With the launch of our first mobile app, the IBX Healthy Steps Pedometer, we are proud to introduce an easy-to-use, innovative fitness tool to help people get started with exercise or to stay on the right track for good health.”

The pedometer app aims to help people get fit by enabling them to track exercise. It is customizable by gender, height, and weight to precisely calculate calories burned with each workout, according to IBX. It also:

• tracks the length, speed, and distance of a walk, jog, or run.
• follows the user’s location using a GPS-enabled map.
• saves results of workouts to view improvement over time.
• shares workout status with friends using integrated Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging.
• provides BMI, daily hydration needs, personal health stats, and a variety of health calculators.

  “We are creating tools, products and services that will improve or enhance our members’ lives,” John Janney, IBX SVP of marketing services adds in a statement. “Mobile phones are particularly effective in reaching our members because wherever our members go, their iPhones or Android phones are right there, too. There are mobile apps for almost everything consumers do – health care and wellness are no exception since they are key elements to enjoying life.”

  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