ABOVEHEALTH DEPLOYS WEB PORTAL SOLUTION TO TRINITY HEALTH SUBSIDIARY, CARE CHOICES Self-service Internet portal makes access to health plan information simple and convenient

February 08, 2006 (PRLEAP.COM) Technology News
SAN DIEGO, CA – FEBRUARY 8, 2006 – Abovehealth®, a leading eHealth solution provider, today announced the successful integration and deployment of its self-service Internet portal as part of health benefits management company, Care Choices’, robust healthcare offering. Abovehealth’s member and provider portals – developed for Care Choices, a subsidiary of Michigan-based Trinity Health – allow its members secure, real-time, direct access to Care Choices health plan information via the web.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Care Choices to enable their members and physicians to realize the immediate benefits of Internet self-service,” remarked Abovehealth CEO Jack Johnson. “The Abovehealth platform allows Care Choices and its constituents to automate manual administrative processes, while also delivering secure transactions and improved communications.”

After initially enlisting Abovehealth to implement its provider web portal in response to demand from network physicians, Care Choices has enhanced its offering by adding Abovehealth’s member portal to enable self-service for yet another constituency. The provider portal streamlines office administrative work by offering immediate, secure access to eligibility reports, member benefit coverage summaries, claim inquiries, referral approval, and the ability to view and submit referrals and plan approvals online. The member portal allows users instant online access to view and/or update their plan information including: eligibility, claims status, referrals, benefit documents, as well as a provider directory allowing them to change primary care physicians and request ID cards online.

Abovehealth has worked closely with Care Choices over the past two years to improve data accessibility and self-service capabilities for Care Choices’ constituents through utilizing the increased functionality and overall cost reduction gained by employing online technology. Care Choices recently garnered honors as the top plan in Michigan and 7th among 257 commercial plans nationwide. The rating, based on the first ever report on “America’s Best Health Plans” by US News & World Report/National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)*, was based on Care Choices’ HEDISâ scores in the following areas: access to care, prevention, treatment, and overall member satisfaction.

“By adding the new member portal and consumer-driven tools to our existing provider systems, Care Choices continues to move forward with technology,” commented Laurie Westfall, chief operations officer for Care Choices. “Our commitment to new technology ensures we are working to make our customers’ lives less complicated, and we will continue to grow and perfect our web functionality to make Care Choices the health benefits management company of choice for employers, providers, and consumers.”

About Care Choices
Care Choices is a health benefits management company and a subsidiary of Trinity Health, one of the nation’s leading providers of health care services. Since 1986, Care Choices has been providing quality health care coverage to thousands of members throughout Michigan. The Care Choices suite of products includes Care Choices HMO, Care Choices PPO, Preferred Choices PPO and consumer-directed plans. Care Choices offers a broad, fully integrated network of physicians, hospitals and other health care
professionals all sharing a strong commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves by delivering effective and affordable health care. Care Choices HMO maintains the highest rating available of Excellent by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Care Choices HMO was rated by “U.S. News & World Report/NCQA America’s Best Health Plans, 2005” as the seventh best commercial health plan among 257 nationwide. Care Choices was the top-rated plan in Michigan.

About Abovehealth
Founded in 2001, Abovehealth is a leading eHealth solution provider. Abovehealth maximizes value by combining strong, effective client service with a powerful web-portal product that addresses the needs of all health plan constituents: members, providers, employers, and brokers. Integrating seamlessly with existing claims and administrative systems, Abovehealth replaces costly manual and paper-driven transactions with automated workflow processes, real-time transactions, interactive communications, and personalized content. The company has made agreements with more than a dozen healthcare organizations, representing more than 5 million member lives. For more information, call 866-837-4538 or visit www.abovehealth.com.

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*“America’s Best Health Plans” is a trademark of U.S. News & World Report.