I received a voice mail message this morning from this number. They said they are with Healthnet and to call back at a 1-800 number. I wanted to check to see if there were complaints against this number and there are. Appears to be a scam and I am not calling the 1-800 number. I happen to be a customer of Healthnet and I will contact the company and tell them about this scam/phishing stuff.

This number has called often.   I do not answer it.

Received call today (4-1-13).  Caller ID said 'unavailable'.  I picked up the phone, and no person or recorded message came on.  I called the number showing on caller ID and it said enter extension number or press zero for attendant.  I pressed 0 and was disconnected.

They have added a new number to their scam service... it's 866-954-4567 read my posts on that number. We have filed a complaint with the FTC.

Received a message to call- Employer generally DOES NOT have information communicated in this manner.
Suspect Scam.

Received call - they said that my employer has a new program.  They were told that we have their number and are going to report them.  They hung up FAST.  My employer does NOT call with new programs, we are notified at work in person.

Had a message from Jennifer who said she was from Healthnet, which is my carrier, and I actually left a message with my number to call back.  Will put it in as DNA (do not answer in my phone), because I just had another call from a different number, but my phone ID'd as Blue Shield; they didn't not leave a message, so I assume it's from the same as Jennifer's office.

This is a health management company its not fraud. They offer additional health benefits that u could use and are very helpful. So stop being p**sy and take it they just wanna help manage your health.

Just as an FYi, Alere Healthcare contracts with insurance companies to provide Disease Managment services to their cleints. The reason you are asked for the infomration for verification is because the nurse sees it on the screen and has to verify that you are actually the individual - you shoud know your bday, address, etc. HIPPA regulations prevent us from providing it to you as verification  just in case you are not whom we are suppose to be calling- it is written in HIPPAA laws that we have to do it that way-you would be amazed at how many people provide their insurance companies with fals e phoen numbers etc. The numbers are not routing back to your insurance agencies because Alere is a whole seperate company that yor insurance companies pays to provide disease maangement services, not that Alere is part of your insurance company. Ron Gerarty, mentioned earlier int he psot, is CEO of Alere. And the nurses are what they are - Nurses, many with over 25 years experience in nursing and many with certifications. and all their licensure are current. Alere has nothing to do with allowing to or to not get or receive specialized medical care, actually, many of the nurses recommend it to the patients and the doctors if it is needed and the doctors have overlooked it. The reason for monitoring and questions is to ensure patients are doing well-you should be within a specific weight, you blood glucos eshould be at a certain point, etc...so lets figure out why its not.  Before you call a company a scam, you really need ot research it. You would think people cared about themselves, but heart disease, obesity etc are on rampage int his country...amazing

1-888-287-7204 called to my cell phone (even I'm in Do Not Call Registered List).  She claims that she is the nurse and part of Great-West or Cigna. She would like to vertify my B-day info. before talking to me.  I told her usually I won't give this info. out, it's kind of surprise she already knew my address and B-day info. Also my treatment record.  The weirdest thing is I called to Cigna, they said they couldn't realize 1-888-287-7204 # though.  I'm not sure what's going on now.

So...This is what I know to be true. My husband had a heart attack in January. The  doc put in 6 stents, and put him on Plavix. The Alere people called us at the behest of United Health Care. They wanted to ship us a scale to have my husband weigh every day. His weight would then be reported to Alere via wireless connection, and I am assuming they, in turn, would report it to United Health Care.

Of course, they say they are United Health Care, because they are contracting with United Health Care. This would be like me working as a temp for Smith Associates. The company that actually writes my check is Kelly Services...but when I'm on assignment at Smith Associates and I have to answer the phone, I say Smith Associates, not Kelly Services, because I am being paid to represent Smith Associates when I answer the phone.

I can see that United Health Care, and other insurance companies, are exploiting a loophole in HIPPAA law. Since they are sharing your health information with someone they contracted to help them, they are within the letter of the law. But personally, you didn't authorize this other company to participate in your health care...hence said loophole.

There is a little niggling inside my head that tells me that nothing is free. United Health Care does not have my nor my husband's best interest at heart. They are looking for ways to save money, thereby increasing their profits. After all...Insurance is based strictly on the odds, and their odds are more favorable if they can get you to participate in a wellness program....because your health could improve because of it.

Now, let me remind you that all of us have caps on our lifetime insurance benefits. How are the insurance companies paying for this? Is it out of their operating budget? Or is it applied to our insurance cap? At any rate, I can guarantee that they are the true beneficiaries of such an investment. Still...although your insurance company will benefit, does that mean you should say "No" to their offer? It is a quandary; a question difficult to answer. Is it a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend? Or is it a case of blind man's bluff?

Instinct and common sense tell me that my husband can weigh himself without the help of Alere or United Healthcare. His doctor can and, in fact, is obligated to discuss his rehabilitation since the heart attack. The bottom line is that United Health Care hired this company to benefit United Health Care. Period.

Say you were home from work, sick. Your room-mate is fine, and is headed for work. Just before he goes out the door, you say, "Hey, on your way home, could you pick up some orange juice, please?" Roomie says, "Sure, no problem," then goes on his way. Now, around 3pm, there is a knock on your door. You answer in your bathrobe, only to find a Girl Scout standing there holding a bag from the corner sushi market. She says, "Hi, I'm your room-mate. You said you wanted me to bring you something to eat, so here it is." She hands you the bag, filled with California roll, edemame, and green tea icecream. But this Girl Scout doesn't look like your room mate. She actually reminds you a little bit of your sister's kid. As you take the bag from her, the Girl Scout says, "Oh, wait. I need to know your date of birth and driver's license number. Gotta be sure I got the right person." Do you give her the information? She doesn't look suspicious, but why does she need that info? What happens to the record with your DL # and date of birth? How secure are her records? Does she answer to the Federal Government as a provider of sushi? And who paid for that sushi, because obviously fish don't grow on trees. O.o

It worries me that we are headed back to the 1980s when so many insurance companies required patients to go through a gate-keeper to see a specialist, and said gate-keepers were getting bonuses based upon the lack of referrals to specialists. Do yourself a favor: Manage your *own* health care. You know your body best.

Just my two cents worth.

Have been getting repeated calls from this number.  When I return the call I have to leave a message

Please block this #.  I do not know anyone at this number

I am having a very difficult time accepting that Alere would be operating in my best interests when they have been contracted by the for-profit behemoth that is BCBS SC.  I was diagnosed with breast cancer and they are calling me to "help" me. I already have a top-notch oncologist and a surgeon who worked at Sloane-Kettering. Why would I need an RN to help me manage my care?  The only thing Alere is contracted to "manage" is costs for Blue Cross.  I am beyond disgusted.

Got a call stating they were from Blue Cross with an important privacy issue. They asked for my date of birth and address, when I wouldn't give either out they told me to call Blue Cross at 800-551-6227. Blue Shield knows nothing of this. Seems to be a scam.

I wish I'd have checked this site before I answered the phone. They claimed to be my insurance company and said there may have been a change in coverage from some equipment that I have. Then they ask me who I'm covered by and I'm like, you guys and you know that. So she counters with that they want to make sure I'm not covered by someone else. If that's what they wanted to know they should have asked me up front. This is very underhanded. I have a chronic condition I was born with. The insurance company has me in a special program that's supposed to help me manage it. I personally think it's a big waste of money. There are times when I record results that should raise a red flag and they should be calling me to check on me, but most of the time they don't.

This is something all the insurers are doing now, which is getting their insureds with certain diseases into care management programs.  Sounds so good that it's a no-cost program and has all these benefits.  But the real question is why would a for-profit company want to spend additional money to do this.  I fear turning over decision making to an RN who will review what my MD says.  They also will set you up with goals and call and assess whether you're meeting your goals.  What if you can't/don't reach their goals?  They wanted to know in the first part of their phone call if I was seeing a cardiologist, oncologist, etc.  I replied yes.  They asked which one.  I said if you're calling me from the insurance company, surely you have that info.  I mean, they should have all the codes and know the exact diagnosis as well as the treatment.  They cited that HIPAA kept them from having access to that info.  Really?   But they wanted confirmation of birth date.  I'm running away from it.  DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR ADDRESS!  Once we had a diagnosis, we started getting offers from pre-paid funeral and cremation providers.

I don't like this either.

If Blue Sheild is going to do this and RELEASE OUR MEDICAL INFORMATION, they have a duty and responsibility to inform the patients first!

I was told I had some disease that I had no idea I had!

This is from a company called:

Alere Medical, Inc.
595 Double Eagle Court, Suite 1000
Reno, Nevada 89521
Telephone: (775) 829-8885
Fax: (775) 829-8637

I got a call from them claiming to represent Blue Shield of California and then they left an 800# for a call back (800-551-6227). They work with Blue Shield to manage diseases.  Blue Shield is selling your personal contact info directly to them.  You have to call Blue Shield to have yourself removed from the contact list.

I just got a call from these characters.  They left a voice mail saying it was Blue Shield  of California and that it was important to call them back at 866-954-4567 option 2.  I was going to call them back, but will not after seeing the other posts here. I'm sure if they need to get in touch with me for something important they will mail a letter.

Got a call today, Feb 1, saying they are calling from Empire Insurance, and they are offering an additional free service to my insurance. Then they start asking me to verify personal information "to confirm they're talking to the correct person." Told them I don't give out information over the phone. It's a scam, because I called my insurance company and they had no idea what I was talking about.

i received a call on my cell from this number on 1/15/10 at 10:55am. Did not answer it. Waited to check it out on this website. I do not have BC so I won't be answering any calls from this number. Seems to be a possible scam to me since I know EVERYBODY who has my cell. Best way to fight these scammers is not to answer them.

Continue to receive calls from this number stating it is Blue Cross Blue Shield of California and to call their toll free number of 1-800-551-6227 and ask for Katie Barner.  They make it sound like it is extremely important.  I did call the number out of curiosity  this weekend and their answering machine said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Calif and gave their Mon- Fri hours.

Our caller ID reports the number as "out of area"

I too received a voicemail message from this number.  
"Hello this message is for [my first and last name]. This is Jan Stuber calling on behalf of Blue Shield of California. Please call us at your earliest convenience.  Our toll free number is 1-800-551-6227.  We look forward to speaking with you.  Thank you."

The 800 number does not match the one on my card, so I agree that it must be a scam.

They called me from this number and were trying to get my full birth date from me.When I refused they gave me two numbers: 1-800-551-6227 and 1-888-266-8080. When I checked those numbers I found this site which confirmed by suspicion. The person told me her name is Maria Rojos.

They knew my daughter's name and said this was a free service from BCBS.  That I would have access to a nurse 24/7.  My daughter has serious health issues and her doctors wouldn't want me calling some random nurse for advice.

I got a strange call on saturday night at about 8:00 PM where they asked for my name and said the company I used to work for and then hung up, what is this number related to?

This number called my cell phone, and the display just said "Nevada."  They did not leave a message, so I looked up the number here.  I do not have Blue Cross, so I'm going to just answer it next time to see what they say.

Okay so to end all of this confusion. I work at the office who keeps sending out these phone calls. Our company is called Alere. We are a worldwide company that specializes in condition and disease management. We are contracted through different employer and insurance groups to provide condition, disease, and case management programs for people with all different types of major diseases. Some of our more popular programs are for conditions such as Heart Failure, Diabetes, Depression, and Asthma. We are legitimate. The way our company receives your information is through a referral process. Normally something in your recent medical history has shown that you MAY be a good candidate for one of our programs. Your employer or insurance company then sends us your information, and from there we try and contact you.

Her is the thing that frustrates a lot of people and probably why they think that this is a scam. We can not even tell you what program you are targeted for until you verify your information. The reason is simple. We are bound by federal HIPPA laws to protect personal health information. Think of it this way. Say you had a major disease such as depression. When you enrolled in your insurance you had a different phone number than what you have now due to the fact that you forgot to update that information. Once we called that invalid number and someone answered would you want us to release all of your personal health information including your address and subscriber ID number? Of course not. And luckily with the federal HIPPA laws we can not give out that information unless we verify that we have the correct person on the phone. Most of the time we just have to have you provide the year of your birth, but it varies from client to client.

And yes we do sometimes say that we are calling from certian clients and leave out that we are actually just a partner company. The reason is because that is what that specific company has asked us to do. Because while we are on the phone with a company's patient then at that point legally we are part of that company and we then become official representatives from that company.

So in conclusion I hope that I have opened up some eyes and explained some mysteries.

Humana had a simular program with Alere. They shipped me a scale and the scale directly accessed Alere nurses after I weighed each day. It was to monitor any fluid buil-up that may occur.I had experienced several bouts of Congestive Heart Failure so I thought it was a good program. Humana has since discontinued the program and are doing something like it in house. It is not a scam but an attempt to get you involved and help monitor your health.