Common Approaches to Member Retention by Health Insurance Plans are Ineffective, New Study Shows

Common Approaches to Member Retention by Health Insurance Plans are Ineffective, New Study Shows

Most Health Plan Members Drop Coverage for multiple Reasons; Integrated Retention Strategy and Senior Management Commitment Are Necessary to Reduce Disenrollment and Improve Balance Sheet.

Orlando, FL (Vocus) March 2, 2009 -- Market research conducted on behalf of ConnextionsHealth provides both good and bad news for health insurance providers. The good news: properly managing member disenrollment delivers a significant, positive impact on net enrollment and revenue generation. The bad news: member retention is increasingly difficult for health plans to achieve, and most plans are doing it poorly. A host of economic factors are currently driving unprecedented membership losses at most health insurance plans.

Results of a proprietary study conducted by a leading management consulting firm show:

o    Two-thirds of members in individual health insurance plans have multiple reasons for leaving; these include 6 broad categories, 32 subcategories and nearly 300 distinct root causes for dropping coverage.

o    Root causes of member disenrollment vary widely, based on factors such as plan type, geographic region, sales channel, and most notably a member's tenure with the health plan - which can be identified and addressed by specific stages in the member lifecycle.

o    Traditional phone-based campaigns to capture and analyze disenrollment reasons are ineffective. Exit interviews that lack clear focus and tenacious questioning regarding root causes do not provide health plans with meaningful insight into disenrollement.

o    The majority of disenrollment drivers are controllable. But success in member retention involves sophisticated research into disenrollment drivers; careful design of proactive and reactive retention initiatives; and most importantly, a sustained commitment to member retention from senior management.

o    The most successful disenrollment initiatives by health plans do not approach member retention as an isolated strategy, but also integrate the discipline into their member acquisition and member service programs.

Details on this new research, as well as other valuable market insight on the subject of member retention will be presented at the World Congress Leadership Summit on Member Retention for Health Plans, scheduled for March 18-19 at Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando.

Co-sponsored by ConnextionsHealth, the agenda for this first-of-its-kind forum will feature presentations from leading consulting and research firms, including McKinsey, Gartner and Forrester. Opening keynote Michael Leavitt, the outgoing Department of Health and Human Services cabinet secretary heads a distinguished Summit faculty that includes several health plan executives who will share insights and best practices on member retention, including; Ingrid Lindberg, Chief Experience Officer at CIGNA; John Cheng, VP of Strategic Marketing at Aetna; Steve Nelson, VP of Consumerism and Retail Marketing at Highmark; Thomas Rekart, EVP and Chief Administrative Officer at Bravo Health; and Steven Auerbach, who recently left his EVP role at UnitedHealth Group to serve as President of Connextions Inc.

Through interactive workshops, best practices showcases, keynotes from recognized authorities and panel discussions, attendees will learn how to build, apply and measure member retention strategies designed to yield results similar to those in the new research on the impact of disenrollment programs. For additional information, visit www.worldcongress.com/retention.

About Connextions Inc.:

Founded in 1992, Connextions and its ConnextionsHealth unit provide technology, people and industry expertise that enables its clients to grow, retain and serve customers. Connextions client list includes America's best-known corporate and healthcare organizations, including Kaiser-Permanente, Caremark, FedEx and Sprint. For information, see www.connextions.com

About World Health Care Congress Leadership Summits:

The World Health Care Congress Leadership Summit Series addresses the most cutting edge issues for health care executives across a wide range of industry sectors. Designed to expand on topics discussed at invitation-only summits during the World Health Care Congress, this series offers new perspectives on established methodologies, and details solutions to foster innovation and change. For more information, please visit www.worldcongress.com.

For additional information:

Gordon G. Andrew

Senior Vice President

Connextions, Inc.

(407) 563-4440

Cell: (609) 987-0200

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Contact Information Gordon Andrew

Connextions

http://www.connextions.com

407-563-4440

Patient Placement Systems Unveils Referral Automation Vision Center

Patient Placement Systems Unveils Referral Automation Vision Center

Innovative facility lets continuing care providers and hospitals observe and explore Web-based technologies that accelerate discharge planning for hospitals and referral and admissions processes for long-term care

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) March 2, 2009 -- Patient Placement Systems announced the opening of its high-tech simulated hospital and long-term care facility, the Vision Center. Located at its company headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga., the Vision Center provides an innovative real-world environment to showcase the newest Web-based software technologies for automating hospital discharge referrals (http://www.patientplacement.com/healthcare-software/discharge-planning.aspx), as well as admissions and intake for continuing care providers.

"We are pleased to establish the Vision Center to help hospitals and continuing care providers see the benefits of automated referrals and admissions (http://www.patientplacement.com/rms-free-trial.aspx)in a real-life environment," said Eric Christ, president of Patient Placement Systems. "Seeing our software in a live setting is a unique way for healthcare professionals to better understand the technologies that improve their efficiency, productivity and performance."

The 1,828-square-foot Vision Center replicates a hospital and post-acute care facility. Built in the northwest wing of parent company Jackson Healthcare's corporate headquarters, the center allows visitors and healthcare leaders to observe innovative healthcare systems and experience a live display of efficient, paperless patient discharge and intake. The center showcases everything from waiting room areas, a nursing unit space, a bed management hub, an emergency department, and an operating room suite. Ten plasma screens provide clear visibility into the complete functionality of the systems in use.

The Patient Placement Systems Vision Center depicts a typical day for hospital case managers and continuing care provider admissions teams. Recent visitors to the Vision Center watched live demonstrations of Patient Placement Web-based software technologies automating and enabling:

* Patient discharge planning, referral communications and placements

* Receipt, status tracking, and approval of inbound continuing care referrals

* Conversion from paper referral documents to complete electronic document management

* Alerts, task management and referral creation using mobile devices

* Marketing activity and campaign tracking

* Instant insurance verification

* Creation of standard forms and admissions documents

* Comprehensive live reports of outbound and inbound referral activity

About Patient Placement Systems: Patient Placement Systems Web-based solutions automate and accelerate discharge planning and admissions management for hospitals and continuing healthcare providers (http://www.patientplacement.com/). Hospitals eliminate delayed discharges, and continuing care providers respond immediately to referral inquiries while accepting more qualified patients. Discharge planners and admissions managers securely send, track and archive referrals live online, with full reporting for better business decisions. For more information, visit www.PatientPlacement.com or to schedule a tour of the Vision Center, call 877-748-6656.

About Jackson Healthcare: Founded by healthcare pioneer Richard L. Jackson, Jackson Healthcare addresses the two biggest challenges facing healthcare today: finding the right people and delivering the right information at the right time. The JH family of companies provides clinician staffing, anesthesia management and healthcare information technology solutions proven to improve clinical and financial outcomes and increase operational efficiency.

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Contact Information Doug Walker

Patient Placement Systems

http://www.patientplacement.com

7706435692

PDS Health, Inc. Announces Contract for Telemedicine Research

PDS Health, Inc. Announces Contract for Telemedicine Research

PDS Health's online Chronic Disease Management system MdMonitor.com™, an online monitoring software and monitoring device have been selected to be used in a study of telemedicine.

Jupiter, Fl December 22, 2009-- PDS Health, Inc. is announcing receiving a contract for the use of their proprietary hardware and online software to study telemedicine on certain types of patients in a major hospital system.

The study will start as early as January 2009 and continue until May 2009 clinical research study.

"The study uses www.mdmonitor.com ™ for analyzing the data submitted by the Telemonitor™ (http://www.mdmonitor.com) that is placed in each patient's home. The system does not require that the patient has a computer, so its very convenient and inexpensive."

For this Research clinical study a Blood pressure monitor will be used, possibly together with a glucose monitor at a later stage. MDmonitor.com lets you access patient data online and keeps information updated, either by care giver's staff, the patient, or the patient's other health professionals. MDMonitor keeps medical data update, analyzes information and can remind patients to take medications.

The patient can download Health education materials including DVDs. This system is HIPAA compliant, secure and confidential." Says Ginger Kanzer-Lewis RN. BC. EdM, CDE, Director of Diabetes and Patient Education for PDS Health.

For more information call: Ginger Kanzer-Lewis at (866) 379 9445

Or visit www.MDmonitor.com ™ or PDSHealth.com

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Contact Information Ginger Kanzer-Lewis

PDS Health, Inc.

http://www.mdmonitor.com

866-379 9445

American TeleCare, Inc. (ATI) Appoints Michael A. Brodeur as Chief Financial Officer

American TeleCare, Inc. (ATI) Appoints Michael A. Brodeur as Chief Financial Officer

American TeleCare, the Leader in Technology-Enabled Telehealth Solutions, Adds Accomplished Financial Executive to its Senior Management Team

Minneapolis (PRWEB) February 25, 2009 -- American TeleCare, Inc. (ATI) announced that Michael A. Brodeur has joined the company as its chief financial officer. ATI is the leader in the development and application of video-based telehealth solutions to advance patient care.

"Mike is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of high-level financial management experience in the health care, medical device, biotechnology and clinical laboratory industries," said Randy Moore, M.D., M.B.A., chairman and chief executive officer, American TeleCare (ATI). "He brings ATI exceptional expertise in corporate finance, business development and the capital markets."

"With solutions that combine telecommunications technology with unmatched clinical functionality, ATI is at the forefront of the telehealth industry," said Brodeur. "Managing the costs of caring for patients with complex, chronic conditions is a fundamental challenge in health system reform. ATI is positioned to lead the way to establish new models of telehealth-supported care that connect high-risk patients to essential clinical expertise."

Immediately before joining ATI, Brodeur was the chief financial officer of Medical CV, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDCV), developer and manufacturer of laser-based surgical devices. He has also served as CFO of McKesson Medical Management (a $500 million pharmacy outsource provider to hospitals) and Meris Laboratories, Inc. (a $50 million clinical laboratory testing company). He previously held other senior financial leadership positions with EPS Solutions Corporation and WellPoint Health Networks, Inc., now WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE:WLP), which today is the nation's largest health insurer by member numbers. Brodeur was a managing partner at Prairieview CFO Partners, LLP, a CFO services firm for public and pre-IPO emerging and middle-market businesses. And as senior partner at Tatum CFO Partners, LLP, another national CFO services firm, he served as CFO of Molecular Diagnostics, Inc., now CytoCore, Inc. (OTCBB:CYTO) and Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTM).

Brodeur is a certified public accountant who began his career at Ernst & Young. He earned a bachelor's of science degree in business administration and accountancy at California State University, Long Beach, Calif.

About American TeleCare, Inc. (ATI)

Founded in 1993, American TeleCare (ATI) is the pioneer of intelligent monitoring and video-based telehealth technology. With proven experience in clinical process re-engineering, ATI works with leading healthcare organizations to put their patients at the center of care teams and supports them with best-in-class solutions. ATI systems connect continuous healing relationships and deliver essential information for clinical and self care. Ongoing monitoring and constant care of patients at home keeps them connected to clinical expertise and may help prevent acute events. The results: 100-200 percent increases in provider productivity and 65-95 percent reductions in emergency room and inpatient costs - achieved as care teams help physicians watch over, improve and maintain their patients' health. For more information, visit www.americantelecare.com. Then call 800-323-6667.

NOTE: American TeleCare will exhibit at the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) Annual International Meeting & Exposition, which will be held on April 26-28, 2009 at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nev. American TeleCare will be at booth #300.

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Contact Information DAVID AQUILINA

American TeleCare, Inc. (ATI)

http://www.americantelecare.com

612.922.5551

Bederra Corporation Launches New Billing Services Division Expected to Add up to $500,000 in Revenue

Bederra Corporation Launches New Billing Services Division Expected to Add up to $500,000 in Revenue

Bederra Corporation (Pink Sheets: BEDA), a medical imaging and diagnostic Company launches new Physician Billing Services Division to provide small and medium sized doctor groups out sourced billing services as part of its commitment to synergistically diversify the company's business.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 24, 2009 -- Bederra Corporation (http://www.bederra.com) (Pink Sheets: BEDA), a medical imaging and diagnostic Company launches new Physician Billing Services Division to provide small and medium sized doctor groups out sourced billing services as part of its commitment to synergistically diversify the company's business.

Bederra Corporation (http://www.bederra.com), through its Lumar Imaging, Inc. subsidiary, has experienced staff that has been providing these services on a limited basis to select physicians. The new division is not only expected to generate new cash flow for the company, but will also increase the number of future physician referrals leading to additional revenue.

In today's market, many physicians have difficulty in navigating the constantly changing rules of Insurance providers, Medicare and Medicaid billing. Qualified individuals necessary to perform these services are in high demand and in short supply. Bederra has cultivated these types of professionals for years with careful training and will now offer those services to private practices.

Four percent of all insurance claims for services are rejected by insurance companies. Ninety-five percent of those rejected claims are due to input errors or incomplete information on the claim form. Millions of dollars per year go uncollected by physician's practices due to these errors. By correcting previous errors, and pursuing new monies generated, Bedderra can grow the working relation of the MRI practice and the private practice physician.

"Due to this demand for greater services, the company plans to offer this service to more physicians with the net effect of obtaining greater market penetration for its diagnostic imaging services and creating an additional profit center that will increase the overall company's sales and profits," stated Graham Williams, CEO of Bederra.

About Bederra Corp. (http://www.bederra.com):

Bederra Corporation (http://www.bederra.com), through its wholly owned subsidiaries Diagnos, Inc. and Lumar Imaging, Inc., provides multiple modality diagnostic medical imaging services to the greater Houston area and the world famous Texas Medical Center. The Company's business strategy is to continue to expand its current operations and seek out additional acquisitions that will complement its core offerings.

Under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements in the press release that relate to the company's expectations with regard to the future impact on the company's results from new products and services in development, including any planned acquisitions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The results anticipated by any or all of these forward-looking statements may not occur. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in the Company's plans or expectations.

Contact:                        

Bederra Corp.                    

info (at) bederra (dot) com

Investor Relations

Mark Jones

281-920-0955

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Contact Information Mark Jones

Bederra Corporations

http://www.Bederra.com

281-920-0955

Two Success Stories Become One as Associated Pharmacies, Inc. and United Drugs Announce their Proposed Corporate Merger

Two Success Stories Become One as Associated Pharmacies, Inc. and United Drugs Announce their Proposed Corporate Merger

Pharmacy co-operatives to become a single corporate entity.

Phoenix, AZ (Vocus) February 23, 2009 -- Today, two of the nation’s most successful independent pharmacy co-operatives have announced a plan to merge their organizations.

Associated Pharmacies, Inc. (API) of Scottsboro, AL and United Drugs in Phoenix, AZ have put plans in place to combine into a single corporate entity with a joint membership of more than 2,000 independent pharmacies. The United Drugs and API merger establishes a truly independent force in retail pharmacy.

“This merger has many benefits, but only one goal: the success of our members,” said Jon Copeland, R.Ph. and Chief Executive Officer of API. “Not only will our members own the entire operation, but we will be working for them on both the purchasing and the selling side of their pharmacies making them truly independent. No other group can offer its members that kind of profitable flexibility.”

United Drugs CEO Bruce Semingson, R.Ph. added, “That’s one reason why this has to be the most compatible merger in the industry. API is known for running one of the nation’s most successful cooperative-owned warehouse operations and United Drugs has one of the strongest Managed Care programs out there.”

Contributing to the synergies of the proposed merger is the fact that both co-operatives are customers of Cardinal Health, a $91 billion global health care company ranked No. 19 on the Fortune 500. Executives from both API and United are initiating member educational meetings, outlining the structure and timeline of the new organization. Upon member approval, the merger is expected to close in late 2nd quarter 2009.

“Both our companies have long histories of providing a wide array of services and programs as well as being vocal advocates for independent pharmacies,” Copeland said. “Now, with this strategic move, we’re confident we will become the strongest co-op of independent pharmacies in the nation.”

About Associated Pharmacies, Inc. (API):

Founded in 1987, Associated Pharmacies, Incorporated (http://www.uniteddrugs.com) (API), is a member-owned buying cooperative that provides independent pharmacy owners an opportunity to buy like a chain. API members take advantage of savings on brand, generic, and OTC products at discounted, volume prices. As a unified voice in an ever-changing environment, API designs and implements programs to give its pharmacies the tools needed to run a successful business.

About United Drugs:

United Drugs (http://www.uniteddrugs.com) is a premier pharmacy cooperative that provides industry leadership, operating expertise, third party contracting and buying services to independently-owned pharmacies throughout the nation. United Drugs has over 1,000 pharmacy members and is growing. For over 30 years, United Drugs has been helping independent pharmacies not only compete but also thrive in a dynamic, challenging marketplace.

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Contact Information Brett Doucette

United Drugs

http://www.uniteddrugs.com

602-678-1179 x225

Clint King

Associated Pharmacies, Inc.

http://www.apirx.com

800-243-8521 x238

Medicare-PartD.com Provides Seniors with a Preview of their 2010 Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan Costs

Medicare-PartD.com Provides Seniors with a Preview of their 2010 Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan Costs

Seniors can expect a smaller increase in 2010 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan parameters as compared to the increases they saw in 2009. Most Medicare Part D plan parameters, such as the initial deductible or out-of-pocket expense, will increase by only 3.13% in 2010, as compared to the 7.54% increase in the same values in 2009. To help the Medicare community better understand the 2010 changes, Medicare-PartD.com (http://www.medicare-partd.com/2010) has released the 2010 PDP-Planner, a simple to use online tool that illustrates how prescription drug costs change throughout the year and through the different phases of prescription drug coverage.

Saint Augustine, FL (Vocus) February 22, 2009 -- Seniors and Medicare beneficiaries can plan on increases in 2010 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan coverage parameters, but the changes are not so extreme as in previous years. Based on the recently released information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Part D plan parameters such as initial deductible, initial coverage limit and out-of-pocket threshold limits will increase in 2010 by 3.13% as compared to the 7.54% increase in 2009. An online summary comparing the CMS Medicare Part D defined standard benefit parameters from 2006 through 2010 are available at Medicare-PartD.com/2010 (http://www.medicare-partd.com/2010). Several of the 2010 low-income subsidy or extra-help values are still tentative and will be finalized as additional information becomes available.

To help seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries better understand the 2010 changes in the Part D plan benefit parameters, Medicare-PartD.com released their online 2010 PDP-Planner (http://www.medicare-partd.com/PartD-PartDCoverageGapCalculator10Xphp.php) tool. PDP-Planner allows users to visualize how they could potentially move through their Medicare Part D plan from initial deductible (if applicable) into the initial coverage phase, through the coverage gap, and maybe even into the catastrophic coverage portion of their Medicare Part D coverage.

"Unfortunately, even with three years of experience, we are finding that many people are still having difficulty understanding the coverage provided by their current Part D plans," noted Dr. Susan Johnson, technical director of the Medicare-PartD.com website. "It is our hope that the 2010 PDP-Planner will help Medicare Part D beneficiaries visualize prescription spending during the various phases of next year’s Part D plan coverage. To help people get started, we have provided a few PDP-Planner examples (http://www.medicare-partd.com/PartD-PartDCoverageGapCalculator10Xphp.php?pgtype=ex1) for those unfamiliar with the phases of a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan."

Users of PDP-Planner can enter estimated retail prescription costs based on their current drug spending and, if desired, change Medicare Part D plan parameters values, such as the initial deductible, to get an idea of how they will move through the phases of their Part D plan. For instance, a Medicare beneficiary who chooses a 2010 Part D plan modeled after the CMS defined standard plan will notice the slight increase in the initial deductible limits. The 2010 initial annual deductible will increase to $305 from the current 2009 value of $295. Beneficiaries will enter the 2010 donut hole or coverage gap when the total retail cost of their prescription drug purchases reaches the initial coverage limit of $2,780, an $80 increase over the 2009 Initial Coverage Limit of $2,700. In addition, people who enroll into a standard benefit plan with high prescription drug costs can begin to prepare for increases in total out of pocket expense (or TrOOP) that they must personally spend before exiting the donut hole and entering the catastrophic coverage portion of their prescription drug plan. The out of pocket threshold will increase to $4,500 in 2010 from the current 2009 value of $4,350.

"Our PDP-Planner is designed to provide an estimate based on the CMS defined standard benefit and, although most private Medicare Part D plans offer a variation of deductibles and cost-sharing options, we find that this defined standard benefit acts as a good benchmark for upcoming Part D coverage," added Dr. Johnson.

PDP-Planner is available at no cost and users have the option to have a copy of their PDP-Planner results sent directly to them via eMail. The 2009 PDP-Planner can be found at PDP-Planner.com/2010 (http://www.pdp-planner.com/2010) and joins the other online tools, resources, the free monthly Medicare Part D Newsletter (http://www.medicare-partd.com/PartD-StayingInformedOn-Medicare-PartD.php), and tutorials designed to help Medicare beneficiaries, advocates, advisors, and insurance agents navigate the Medicare prescription drug program.

About the Website Medicare-PartD.com

Medicare-PartD.com is one of the largest private internet resources for Medicare Part D prescription drug information. The Medicare-PartD.com website is designed and operated by Q1Group LLC (Saint Augustine, FL).

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Contact Information Lynnea Christner

Q1Group LLC

http://www.medicare-partd.com/2010

904-461-8994

Susan Johnson MS-MIS, MBA, PhD

Q1Group LLC

http://www.medicare-partd.com/PartD-PartDCoverageGapCalculator10Xphp.php?pgtype=ex1

904-461-8994