| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma Selects Benefitfocus to Provide Web-based Enrollment for its Health Care Clients |
|
Tulsa, OK and Mount Pleasant, SC – July 21, 2005 – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma (BCBSOK) has selected Benefitfocus.com, Inc. to provide electronic enrollment, billing and data exchange services to its employer groups. Initial implementation and rollout of the Benefitfocus electronic enrollment technology has begun with select large groups, and the carrier expects to achieve 80% adoption within 12 months.
|
|
"We selected Benefitfocus to bring us to the competitive level we saw in the industry," said Mike Rhoads, executive vice president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma. "We saw the need to bring more functionality to our enrollment process with new technology, and we wanted to exceed the expectations of our customers."
|
|
"We are happy to add Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma to our substantial list of Blue plans," said Shawn Jenkins, president and CEO of Benefitfocus. "Currently our list of clients insures over 12.5 million members, and they continue to pick us over the competition. Benefitfocus has 14 Blues — more than any other provider — and adding Oklahoma’s 500,000 members further extends our leadership position within Blue Cross Blue Shield plans."
|
|
With the introduction of BluesEnroll, Benefitfocus’ new elections enrollment platform, BCBSOK reinforces its commitment to members by providing the most advanced and competitive technology options available in the marketplace. Additionally, BCBSOK will reduce costs by replacing the often error-prone, paper-based processes currently in place with an interactive and efficient web-based platform.
|
|
"We expect to deliver efficiencies to our customers by improving the ways they have previously made updates or sent changes to us," said Rhoads. "We also anticipate increased productivity in our enrollment and underwriting areas by not having to re-key information. Being able to deliver those contracts, benefit booklets and data electronically will make the entire enrollment process more efficient."
|
|
With BluesEnroll, benefit administrators can make benefit changes for employees and dependents, add new hires, manage COBRA coverage and change employee classifications. All of these transactions are securely, efficiently and accurately transmitted to BCBSOK and any ancillary carriers the group might offer.
|
|
Monika Hills, a human resources administrator for Riggs Abney in Tulsa, said BluesEnroll is going to tremendously improve the way the law firm, which employs more than 300 people, manages its accounts. "I’m looking forward to being able to access all of our information quickly and from one source," said Hills. "I encourage other businesses to utilize this, especially large businesses with multiple locations that have to keep track of many employees. BluesEnroll is a must; I can’t imagine what I did without it."
|
|
Rhoads says the single most dramatic feature BluesEnroll brings to BCBSOK is the functionality to administer to customers with multiple vendors. "Our customers don't always place their employee benefits exclusively with us and often offer life insurance, Employee Assistance Plans, services and other employee benefits from a variety of carriers. The most frequently requested feature for an enrollment platform is multiple vendor connections, because they want to use us as a clearinghouse for all their benefit management."
|
|
Benefit administrators will save time with BluesEnroll's numerous features, such as the report wizard, offering more than 60 customizable reports with a click or two of the mouse. It supports health and dental insurance provided by BCBSOK, as well as third-party insurance such as life insurance, disability, flexible spending and all other employee benefit offerings.
|
|
Rhoads concludes, "BluesEnroll demonstrates our commitment to our members and will improve our customer retention."
|
|
BCBSOK is introducing BluesEnroll to its brokers and large clients during a statewide road trip this month.
|
|
BluesEnroll is a key module in Benefitfocus' full suite of products and services, integrating with small group enrollment, which streamlines the complex process of small-group benefit enrollment; administration and maintenance; eBilling, which delivers accurate, timely electronic invoices, resolves billing disputes through automated reconciliation and securely collect payments online; and eExchange, a back-office data transmission and data exchange service for large multinational accounts.
|
About Benefitfocus
Benefitfocus.com, Inc. (Benefitfocus) is a leading provider of benefits administration software and services, offering employees and employers access to all benefits and human resource information securely over the Internet. Linking this data to payroll vendors and benefit providers, Benefitfocus applications seamlessly exchange data, therefore reducing errors and costs associated with traditional paper-based forms. Benefitfocus applications are designed to make companies more efficient, cost-effective, and more focused on delivering actual benefits instead of spending time on undue paperwork.
The company is headquartered in Mount Pleasant, SC (Charleston), and has an established client base of over 8,000 corporate employers in all fifty states.
|
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma (BCBSOK) is the oldest and largest private health insurer in Oklahoma, a member of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of 40 independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. BCBSOK can be reached via the Internet at www.bcbsok.com.
|
