And SAS would like to take this opportunity to remind people that "nearly all of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensees use SAS Business Analytics to drive those measures."

Of the 39 companies within the oldest and largest family of health plans, "all but four have deployed SAS software,"  according to SAS , the Cary, N.C.-based CRM analytics tools vendor. In fact, the company said, "one in three Americans -- more than 100 million residents -- counts on a Blue Cross and Blue Shield company for health coverage."

With increasing pressure from health care reform for health insurers to cut costs and invest in modern technology architecture, "technologies such as advanced analytics are increasingly a key element in cost control,” said Kunal Pandya, senior analyst, health insurance practice at Aite Group, an independent business technology research firm. “For health care insurers, such technologies can assist with detecting fraud, managing risk driven by preventative interactions and other areas that make the system more efficient and effective.”

The SAS Business Analytics Framework is described by company officials as a blend of data integration, analytics, reporting as well as "an ever-expanding portfolio of industry and line-of-business" products for organizations to address "immediate business issues."