TEANECK, N.J., Aug. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) today announced that it has been selected by CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), a leading not-for-profit health care company, to support the insurer's efforts to leverage mobile technology for its 3.3 million members.

Under this engagement, Cognizant is working with CareFirst to establish a direct connection with its members, to provide them quick, secure and convenient ways to manage their health coverage, access information about physicians and claims, and obtain details about benefits anytime, anywhere using smartphones and tablets.

Cognizant will leverage its Mobility Testing Lab in Phoenix, AZ, for on-demand, cloud-based testing of the mobile applications across multiple devices and carriers, helping CareFirst save time and infrastructure maintenance costs.

"Our move into the mobile space is driven by the growing significance of mobility in the overall connected health effort," said Harry D. Fox, Senior Vice President for Technical and Operational Support Services at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. "The ubiquity of smartphones and tablet devices, while rapidly changing customer expectations and operational needs, presents a powerful direct link for us to connect with our members and for our members to better manage their health care."

"We are pleased to be working with CareFirst," said Krish Venkat, Executive Vice President of Cognizant's Healthcare and Life Sciences practice. "With our deep expertise in SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) technology architectures, we look forward to conceptualizing, architecting, and implementing next-generation mobile capabilities for CareFirst to help transform the way the company engages with its members."

This engagement further expands Cognizant's relationship with CareFirst, through which Cognizant is delivering business consulting, systems integration, and application development solutions to support CareFirst's strategic initiatives, including mandates around regulatory compliance.

About CareFirst
In its 76th year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.4 million individuals and groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2012, CareFirst contributed $57 million to community programs designed to increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit our website at www.carefirst.com or follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CareFirst_News.

About Cognizant's Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice
Cognizant's Healthcare and Life Sciences practice is committed to helping change millions of lives for the better by partnering with clients to build solutions to healthcare challenges, continually improve the way they do business, set the pace in clinical development, strengthen their regulatory infrastructure, and increase competitiveness. Consistently ranked among the top 10 on the Healthcare Informatics Top 100, Cognizant serves 27 of the top 30 global pharmaceutical companies, 15 of the top 20 health plans in the U.S., 5 of the top 6 pharmacy benefit management companies in the U.S., 9 of the top 10 biotech companies, and 12 of the top 20 medical device companies. With a large team of dedicated professionals including doctors, pharmacologists, physicians, biomedical engineers, pharmacists, biostatisticians, medical writers, and GxP consultants, the practice provides domain-aligned consulting, IT, business process and analytics solutions globally.

About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the world's leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 50 delivery centers worldwide and approximately 164,300 employees as of June 30, 2013, Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com or follow us on Twitter: Cognizant.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions and the factors discussed in our most recent Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Cognizant undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Cognizant