BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina received the first ever Shirley Scruggs Award, presented to the Blue Plan achieving the highest combined strategic and service profile scores from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) Federal Employee Program^®(FEP). 

The award is for excellence in a range of categories, with a focus on member satisfaction, operational performance, benefit costs and administrative costs.

"It's almost mystical," said Bill Breskin, BCBSA senior vice president of Government Programs for FEP. "The first year of the award, and it goes to the Plan where Shirley Scruggs spent her entire career. She embodied the spirit, dedication and strength that has become FEP."

Scruggs passed away in November. She was the longest-serving employee of BlueCross, having joined the company in 1955. Under her direction, the SC FEP has become one of the most recognized and praised programs across the entire Blue Cross and Blue Shield system. BCBSA has ranked it as excellent in customer service for 27 consecutive years. The SC FEP has a 99.8 percent member retention rate, with 79 percent of eligible participants choosing BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina as their health carrier.

“Her accomplishments make up only a small part of all Shirley achieved during her career with our company,” said BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina CEO David Pankau. “Shirley is remembered for her kind, gentle demeanor and warm, friendly personality. I cannot think of another individual who demonstrated her level of loyalty and commitment to our company while also displaying a genuine caring and compassion for our customers, her coworkers and all the employees in our organization.”

FEP offers a variety of health plans for eligible federal employees and retirees. It continues to be the most popular choice of federal employees and retirees since its inception in 1960. It covers roughly 5.6 million federal employees, retirees and their families. The SC FEP has more than 80,000 members.

The award will be given out annually at the FEP National Conference. The inaugural award was presented at the conference held in St. Louis in June.

Check out video of the presentation.