Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Fargo, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, Omaha, have created a health care technology company in Fargo called CoreLink Administrative Solutions. The new company will process North Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska Blue Cross and Blue Shield health claims on BCBSND's computer systems.

Effective January 1, BCBSNE's employee and retiree group health insurance claims are being processed on CoreLink's systems, along with North Dakota's and Wyoming's. More than 100 former BCBSND employees now work for CoreLink, headquartered in the BCBSND Building in Fargo. By the end of 2009, CoreLink is expected to employ 200 people, and as the CoreLink client base grows it will likely result in additional jobs in Fargo and Omaha, according to CoreLink officials.

Steve Grandfield, CoreLink CEO and executive vice president and chief operations officer at BCBSNE, said, "I am very excited to be part of this start-up operation and the opportunities this company will provide us. Every CEO in the Blues system wants to know what this is all about; there's never been a collaboration like it among the Blue plans."

"This has been a huge endeavor involving more staff across the company than any initiative we've worked during my tenure with Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the positive implications for the future are immense," said BCBSND President and CEO Mike Unhjem. CoreLink is expected to result in significant administrative efficiencies, delivering core systems solutions at lower costs and greater performance capability for both Blue plans, and potentially other health plans in the future. BCBSND had already been processing BCBS of Wyoming's claims on BCBSND systems.

Last October, the North Dakota and Nebraska Blue plans received approval from their respective boards of directors to form CoreLink, and in late December, both plans received approval from their respective state insurance departments.