Healtheon/WebMD and Humana Announce Expanded RelationshipTo Include Online Benefits Services for Members
ATLANTA and LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Healtheon/WebMD Corporation (Nasdaq: HLTH), the first end-to-end Internet healthcare company connecting physicians and consumers to the entire healthcare industry, and Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), one of the nation's largest publicly traded managed health care companies, today announced that Humana members in selected markets will be able to manage their benefits online using WebMD BenefitCentral(SM) services privately labeled for Humana Inc. Markets being considered for deployment of services later this year include Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, and Florida.
Select Humana employer groups may use BenefitCentral services to better manage benefit enrollment and administration and improve the accuracy and timeliness of critical data. Benefit Administrators will be able to approve or deny enrollment transactions, setup life events that control which activities may be performed by each employee, add new hires, and other functions. Employees will have convenient access to benefit options and general descriptions of the benefits and their features, such as copayments and deductibles from home, work or on the road, and enroll in or change their benefits online.
"We are excited to provide this value-added service to our employer groups," said Bruce J. Goodman, chief information officer of Humana. "Our relationship with Healtheon/WebMD allows us to provide trusted, healthcare Internet content and connectivity services to consumers and healthcare providers in targeted markets. This effort reflects our on-going commitment to fundamentally change how healthcare is delivered by providing the tools and convenience our stakeholders want."
"With the addition of BenefitCentral services, Humana will offer its members, employer groups, and providers the opportunity to participate in the promise and the reality of a fully connected healthcare community," said Sanjiv Luthra, senior vice president for Employer Services at Healtheon/WebMD. "We are pleased to be a partner with this visionary healthcare organization."
Earlier this year, Humana and Healtheon/WebMD announced that they had entered into a strategic relationship in which Humana would exclusively promote WebMD Practice(SM) (Healtheon/WebMD's provider portal) for physicians and WebMD Health(SM) (Healtheon/WebMD's consumer portal) for members within targeted Humana markets. Healtheon/WebMD, in conjunction with Humana, agreed to offer member services such as claim status inquiries, explanation of benefits, electronic ordering of new ID cards and changing primary care physicians. Healtheon/WebMD agreed to offer unique real-time services for Humana's provider community, including eligibility, claim status inquiries and referrals and authorizations, with premium service levels offered through WebMD Practice.
Humana agreed to develop original content for WebMD Health in selected target markets on a regular basis, including text articles, and host monthly live on-line events. In addition, Healtheon/WebMD and Humana agreed to implement strategic initiatives, unique to this partnership, that would further accelerate the paradigm shift in establishing a new healthcare delivery model, such as auto-adjudication of claims with automatic electronic funds transfer payment at the point of care, with the goal of reducing claim payment processing time from days or months to hours or minutes.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is one of the nation's largest publicly traded health services companies, with approximately 5.9 million medical members located primarily in 15 states and Puerto Rico. Humana offers coordinated health insurance coverage through a variety of plans -- health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations, point of service plans and administrative service products -- to employer groups, government-sponsored plans and individuals.
More information regarding Humana is available via the Internet at www.humana.com, including on-line copies of our annual report to shareholders, Form 10-K, Form 10-Qs, proxy statement, and recent presentations to investor groups.
About Healtheon/WebMD
Healtheon/WebMD (Nasdaq: HLTH) is the first end-to-end Internet healthcare company connecting physicians and consumers to the entire healthcare industry. Healtheon/WebMD is using the Internet to facilitate a new system for the delivery of healthcare, resulting in a single, secure environment for all communications and transactions that will enable a more efficient and cost effective healthcare system. Healtheon/WebMD has its corporate headquarters in Atlanta and its technology headquarters in Silicon Valley. For more information visit webmd.com.
SOURCE Healtheon/WebMD and Humana Inc.
CO: Healtheon/WebMD; Humana Inc. |
