HealthNow of New York Selects Ingenix DW Solution

HealthNow of New York has selected and implemented Ingenix's leading-edge business management system, InfoMiners, for two of its divisions, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York and Blue Shield of Northeastern New York. This system, combined with Ingenix domain expertise and content management, will help health care providers, payers and physicians access information and analytical applications that will help the organization track productivity, improve efficiency and reduce costs and achieve critical business objectives.

HealthNow, a distinguished leader in health care benefits, will use the InfoMiners Web-based data warehouse and decision support product, which will help the divisions of HealthNow manage their members and providers by improving their business efficiency and reducing costs. Unlike standard reporting systems, the InfoMiners platform is an enterprise-wide system that gives business managers the tools to quickly create reports that are easy to interpret. These reports allow managers to look at their data, find the cause of problems and take corrective action before the problems grow.

The InfoMiners platform gives managers a quick, hands-on reporting tool that doesn't tie up valuable information systems personnel for report creation. Reports, including management reports that highlight potential problems, can be delivered to any PC via Internet or intranet. Gary Kerl, Chief Information Officer and senior vice president of HealthNow believes that "unlike standard reporting systems, the InfoMiners system allows my business managers to immediately drill-down to the patient-level detail under the report summaries -- to find the cause of problems before they grow, and take corrective action."

Ingenix has also incorporated HIPAA-level security into the InfoMiners product including user authentication security. HealthNow users can be identified by electronic signatures and advanced biometric user identification, which employs automatic fingerprint recognition.

The InfoMiners Web-based interface can increase the user base throughout the client's enterprise with easy server-driven deployment -- without requiring additional software installations on individual PCs -- and a significant reduction in training time and links to other Web-based resources. HealthNow will be able to deliver secure access to management reports from a standard Web-browser at authorized locations -- including users on the HealthNow intranet. HealthNow will be using the following:

• The BluePrint data management system, which will automatically transform the raw data from HealthNow's existing transaction systems and build a warehouse customized to fit their entire business. Based on a combination of relational and On-line Analytical Processing (OLAP) structures, the BluePrint Server model provides easy navigation and quick response time.
• Utilization Analyzer, which will help HealthNow spot important trends, analyze a growing need for new services, and target care management program based on utilization profiles
• Financial Analyzer, which will help them generate cost reports in various formats: total or per member per month (PMPM), cost category, product line, provider, and further drill-down to claim-level or member-level detail.
• Network Analyzer, which will help them merge provider, utilization, financial and encounter data across the enterprise and provide an easy-to-use source of information for every provider and member group.
• Pharmacy Analyzer, which will allow them to spot trends, analyze formulary compliance and costs, and target pharmacy management program based on accurate utilization profiles. It also allows them to analyze prescription patterns across the physician network, track pharmacy utilization for each group, drill-down to individual physicians, track significant variance from peer averages, rank generic drug usage by physician, follow trends over time and analyze trends in formulary compliance, and compare physicians to their peer groups.
• Market Analyzer, which will provide access to member demographics and enrollment data to help them spot important trends, analyze a growing need for new services and target their marketing program based on member profiles.

HealthNow is a not-for-profit corporation with operations in Albany, Buffalo and Binghamton. It serves some 750,000 New Yorkers through traditional and managed care coverage, and more than 1.6 million through Medicare Part B claims administration. HealthNow features Community Blue, an HMO in Western New York, and HealthNow Flex, an HMO in Northeastern New York, which have earned full accreditation and excellent ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

Ingenix, a segment of UnitedHealth Group, offers a comprehensive line of clinical and cost management solutions for health care payers, providers, employers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, government agencies, and others requiring quality health care information. The company offers health intelligence (data services, publishing, and consulting) products and services. InfoMiners.com solutions are Internet/intranet based, with high-level security for sensitive patient data -- designed to meet new HIPAA requirements. For additional information about Ingenix and Ingenix products and services, contact 1-877-INGENIX (1-877-464-3649) or visit the Website at www.ingenix.com.

Contact Todd Hattori of Ingenix Inc, 801-537-1787, todd.hattori@ingenix.com.