July 25, 2006
UPMC HEALTH
PLAN
UPMC Health Plan
One Chatham Center
112 Washington Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
UPMC HEALTH PLAN ENTERS AGREEMENT WITH ikaSYSTEMS
PITTSBURGH (July 25, 2006) - In a move designed to leverage
technology and streamline its administrative process, UPMC Health
Plan has chosen ikaSystems' enterprise solution suite, known as
ikaEnterprise.
UPMC Health Plan will implement ikaEnterprise self-service web
portals to better serve the needs of members, brokers, employer
groups and providers, as well as the company's internal
administration staff.
The web portals are designed to streamline and automate UPMC Health
Plan's Medicare, Small Group and Large Group business processes.
This includes: quoting and proposal generation, plan selection,
application submission, and medical underwriting. In addition, the
portals will provide UPMC Health Plan with extensive online Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) prospect management.
ikaSystems Corp., based in Southborough, Mass., is a leading
provider of web-based, enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions
for the healthcare industry.
"We are excited about implementing the ikaEnterprise system as a
technology solution for our Health Plan," said Ed McCallister, Chief
Information Officer for UPMC Health Plan. "We are convinced that we
will receive a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace
through ikaEnterprise's web portal capabilities.
"It will also help reduce administrative expenses significantly by
streamlining our Medicare, Small and Large Group sales, and renewal
cycle. With this, we can be more responsive to shifting market
requirements. The single platform system is capable of managing
online payments, e-billing, commissions and roster management."
"Our web portal system can provide a single platform that UPMC
Health Plan's health administrative staff and its trading partners -
such as brokers, members, employers and providers - can use to
conduct all processes easily and securely," said Ravi Ika, President
and CEO of ikaSystems. "Our web portal system streamlines business
processes through automation and the result is increased
productivity and profitability."
"This partnership will give our applicants access to the next level
of customer service and enhance their ability to compare our plans
in order to make informed health care choices," McCallister said.
About UPMC Health Plan
UPMC Health Plan, a leading health care company located in Western
Pennsylvania, is owned by the University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center (UPMC), one of the nation's top-ranked health systems. As
part of an integrated health care delivery system, UPMC Health Plan
partners with UPMC and other network providers to improve clinical
outcomes as well as the health of the greater community. The
National Committee for Quality Assurance and U.S. News & World
Report listed UPMC Health Plan as the top ranked health plan in
Pennsylvania, and one of the top-20 health plans in the United
States. The Health Plan is the only Pennsylvania plan to receive
five stars in the categories of "Prevention" and "Treatment," and is
the highest-ranked managed care company in the nation for breast
cancer screening, for the second consecutive year. The UPMC
Insurance Services Division - which includes UPMC Health Plan, UPMC
for You (Medical Assistance), Community Care Behavioral Health, and
EAP Solutions - serves over 700,000 members through a network that
includes UPMC providers as well as affiliated hospitals and
physicians, totaling more than 80 hospitals and more than 7,000
physicians in a 28-county region.