Analytics

Indianapolis - WellPoint Inc. received three eHealthcare Leadership Awards for two of its branded product Web sites.WellPoint, based in Indianapolis, received a Platinum award in the Best Overall Internet Site category for www.bluecrossca.com, a Silver award in the Best eBusiness Site category for www.anthem.com and a Distinction award in the Best Health/Healthcare Content category for www.anthem.com. The company's Web sites were selected from more than 1,100 award entries.

Naperville, Ill. - The thieves who made off with computer tapes containing the names and Social Security numbers of 130,000 Aetna Inc. customers appear unlikely to exploit the information, the Hartford, Conn.-based health insurer says. "There is no indication that data theft was targeted," Aetna says. Aetna announced yesterday that a lockbox containing the computer back-up tapes was stolen in late October from the Naperville, Ill., satellite office of a vendor, Addison, Texas-based Concentra Preferred Systems. Concentra audits medical clams and performs other cost containment services for insurers, and the tapes contained information on customers of "several" other undisclosed carriers, according to published reports. Information on an undetermined number of WellPoint Inc. customers may have been stolen in the burglary, reports say. "We believe the total number is an extremely small percentage of our membership," a spokesman for Indianapolis-based WellPoint says. In a report on the incident, Aetna quotes law enforcement officials who say the burglars also stole cash, pharmaceuticals, DVDs and movie passes, and did not appear to be looking for information to use in fraudulent schemes. The law enforcement agency characterized the perpetrators as "common thieves" looking for cash and other property to pawn. The thieves forced their way into the space occupied by Concentra, as well as the offices of five other businesses in the suburban Chicago building, Aetna says. Property was taken from all the tenants. Concentra officials, who notified Aetna of the loss on Nov. 3, say retrieving the data from the tapes would require a complex combination of commercial equipment and specialized software. The data was stored in unlabeled, difficult-to-understand formats, Concentra says. "These tapes cannot be used on a standard PC," Concetra officials say. Concentra reconstructed the data on the tapes and turned it over to Aetna on Nov. 10. Aetna's IT team worked around the clock to determine what information was stolen. They found the data included member names, hospital codes and either Social Security numbers or Aetna ID numbers for about 130,000 people. The names and Social Security numbers of about 750 medical workers were also on the tapes. Aetna is apologizing and notifying members and providers whose personal information was on the tapes. The insurer also is arranging free credit monitoring to help detect any misuse of the information. Concentra is offering a $10,000 reward in connection with the theft, according to published reports. Source: Aetna Inc.

New York - Ameriprise Financial Inc. has promised to hire a consultant to review company laptop policies as part of an agreement with Massachusetts securities regulators. A year ago, the theft of one of Ameriprise’s computers exposed the personal data of more than 150,000 clients.

Washington – If lawmakers such as Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., as well as the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) get their way, insurance companies will be forced to disclose total-loss vehicle claims information to the general public. Thanks to catastrophic storms such as Katrina and the recent flooding in the Pacific Northwest, the public is more aware of the problem of flooded and totaled vehicles being resold to unsuspecting buyers. Lawmakers believe that a rule mandating disclosure of total-loss vehicles is one way to manage the problem. In the 109th Congress, Lott and a bipartisan list of colleagues sponsored S.3707, the Passenger Vehicle Loss Disclosure Act, to require that insurance companies permanently red-flag totaled, flooded or stolen vehicles. Rep. Stearns introduced a similar bill, H.R. 6093, in the House of Representatives. Seattle-based PEMCO Insurance last month announced that it voluntarily reports cars totaled with flood damage to CARFAX, an auto database available to consumers. Other insurance companies are expected to evaluate their reporting procedures. Sen. Lott also affirmed his plans to reintroduce legislation in the 110th Congress to reduce title fraud and title washing of insurance-totaled vehicles. According to lawmakers, although an insurance company may declare a vehicle a “total loss” due to water damage, severe accident, theft, etc., these vehicles often are sold at salvage auctions. They are then rebuilt and re-enter the market with clean titles, so consumers, wholesale auto auctions and dealers may have no way to learn about the total loss. The bill would require insurance companies to reveal the reason for the total loss (flood, collision, stolen, etc.), the date of total loss, the odometer reading on that date, and whether or not the airbag deployed. The NADA-supported effort by lawmakers would permanently red-flag these vehicles, reducing the likelihood that the “total loss” vehicles will end up back on the street. This federal legislation would not preempt state titling laws or require changes in state laws. “With more than five million vehicles totaled by insurance companies just last year -- more than half a million of them coming from the Gulf Hurricanes of 2005 -- something has to be done to permanently notify consumers about these severely damaged vehicles," said David Regan, Vice President of Legislative Affairs for NADA, McLean, Va., was quoted as saying. Sources: PR Newswire, Yahoo News, The National Automobile Dealers Association

New York - American consumers want electronic copies of their medical records and believe that having greater access to their information will reduce medical mistakes and costly repeat procedures, according to a new survey commissioned by the Markle Foundation, a New York research organization. But eight in 10 Americans are very concerned about identity theft or fraud and the possibility of their data being used by marketers without their permission - with three-quarters of those surveyed saying the government has a role in establishing privacy and confidentiality protections for electronic health information. For one of the custodians of consumer health care, health insurers, a cost/benefit analysis may involve deciding which is worse: the legal and potential business-loss ramifications incurred if a health insurance policyholder's private information is lost, or a potential regulatory chokehold on the management and transmission of a policyholder's data. In either case, as health insurers face increased scrutiny as one of the many "gatekeepers" of private consumer information, they also understand the importance of "big picture" thinking when it comes to doing whatever is possible to promote patient health. Companies such as Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare (HPHC), a 25-year old provider of health insurance products to more than one million members, has taken painstaking efforts to protect its customers information while making certain data is securely available to policyholders' caregivers. The Wellesley, Mass., not-for-profit company's mission statement--to be the most trusted name in healthcare-means the company must provide secure data access to HPHC's internal work force of 2,200 users as well as to a growing number of constituents, including 130 hospitals and 22,000 physicians. "Americans understand that quality of care could improve and costs decrease when their health information is available over the Internet to them and those who care for them," said Zoë Baird, president of the Markle Foundation, which funded the research. "And they are clearly ready to do their part to improve our health care system. But consumers also have significant privacy concerns, which must be addressed if we are to have sufficient consumer confidence to support a national commitment to electronic health records. People expect the federal government to establish rules that protect electronic personal health information from being used inappropriately." The survey, conducted by bipartisan polling firms Lake Research Partners and American Viewpoint, shows that: *97 % think it's important for their doctors to be able to access all of their medical records in order to provide the best care; *96 % think it's important for individuals to be able to access all of their own medical records to manage their own health; *Two in three Americans (65 %) would like to access all of their own medical information across an electronic network. This interest spans demographic groups - with a majority (53 %) of Americans 60 and older and high proportions of minority groups expressing interest; *When given the scenario of changing doctors or moving to a different city, an even greater majority - 84 % - said it would be important for them to have electronic copies of their medical records that they keep and control; and *Three-quarters of Americans are willing to share their personal information to help public officials look for disease outbreaks and research ways to improve the quality of health care if they have safeguards to protect their identity. The survey shows that large majorities of Americans see a number of benefits from accessing their medical information online. Consumers say they want access to their medical information in order to ensure that it's accurate, to improve doctor-patient communications and to help prevent medical errors. *91 % say it's important to review what their doctors write in their chart; *88 % say online records would be important in reducing the number of unnecessary or repeated tests and procedures they undergo; *82 % want to review test results online; and *84 % would like to check for errors in their medical record. Americans also see ways in which they could gain more control over their health care by making use of personal health records: *90 % say it would be important to track their symptoms or changes in their health online; *83 % of parents would be interested in using a network to track their child's health, such as tracking dates for immunizations; and *68 % say having their information available online will give them more control over their own health care. "It is encouraging to see that so many Americans recognize the opportunity to improve their health care - and their own health - by accessing and using their health information," said Carol Diamond, M.D., managing director of the Markle Foundation Health Program. "People not only want to see their medical records, they want to use the information to communicate with their doctors and be more involved in managing their care." While the survey notes high recognition of the benefits made possible by accessing personal heath information electronically, most respondents express concern that their medical information could be misused: *80 % say they are very concerned about identify theft or fraud; *77 % report being very concerned about their medical information being used for marketing purposes; *75 % say the government has a role in establishing rules to protect the privacy and confidentiality of online health information; *66 % say the government has a role in establishing rules by which businesses and other third parties can have access to personal health information; and *69 % say the government has a role in encouraging doctors and hospitals to make their personal health information available over the Internet in a secure way. "Despite the overwhelming interest in being more active participants in their own health care, and having their medical information available online to themselves and their physicians, Americans have very serious concerns about the privacy and security of their medical information," said David Lansky, Ph.D., senior director of the health program at the Markle Foundation. "People want to have control over whether their data are used for non-medical purposes and expect the government to establish rules that will protect them." Connecting for Health, a Markle-operated collaborative group of more than 100 organizations, released a new white paper to stimulate national discussion on the use of information technology to meet the critical needs of consumers, patients, and their families. The report describes a networked health information environment in which consumers could establish secure connections with multiple entities that hold personal health information about them. "It is difficult for a consumer to manage her personal health information since it is scattered among various organizations such as insurance companies, pharmacies, hospitals, etc.," Lansky said. "Several projects are currently underway to deploy personal health records, which are designed to help individuals manage their electronic personal health information. But because our health care system is so fragmented, and your health information is typically held by many unconnected entities, these electronic applications today struggle to provide a convenient way for consumers to access all of their data." The paper begins with a brief discussion of how consumer participation in networked environments has transformed other sectors, such as travel and finance. It contends that the health care sector would benefit greatly from a properly designed secure network that enables consumer participation. For more information, go to www.markle.org. Source: The Markle Foundation, INN archives

Its negative connotation is deserved. For insurance companies, a data breach spells instant trouble-the least of which is potential loss of reputation, brand and revenue. If a court of law rules the insurance company is negligent, a data breach has the potential of ultimately shutting the carrier's doors.Recent research by the Chief Marketing Officer Council, Palo Alto, Calif., revealed that a company loses, on average, from 0.63% to 2.10% value in stock price when a breach is reported-equivalent to a loss in market capitalization of $860 million to $1.65 billion per incident.

By early 2004, it was obvious to everyone at the New Mexico Mutual Casualty Co., also known as New Mexico Mutual Group, that the company's green-screen legacy claims system had outlived its usefulness. The company was bringing in a new Web-based policy administration system, and the contrast between it and the tottering claims system was glaring.Navigational and functional problems with the legacy system had cut into claims department productivity at the Albuquerque, N.M.-based carrier. Only one user could work on a claim at a time.

According to a survey conducted by Fierce-Wireless-Bluefire Wireless Security this year, more than 80% of financial services respondents say their organization's use of handheld devices had increased over the past two years. Meanwhile, 87% say they are concerned about the security of e-mail access to corporate server-based accounts and of remote access to corporate networks, and 85% say that access to Web-based e-mail had become a significant security concern.

TOOL HELPS EMPLOYEES MANAGE THEIR BENEFITSPlanAdvisor, a benefits management tool from Milwaukee-based Zywave Inc., features a Plan Selector module to enable employees to review their own health costs. PlanAdvisor generates management reports without carrier data feeds, analyzes the effects of changes in the plan design and calculates projected plan costs, based on trend and claims information. It also offers benchmarking, modeling, and analysis to allow brokers to deliver information based on industry comparison data and actuarial factors, which can help clients make informed decisions.

CAPITOL SELECTS STG BILLING SYSTEMMiddleton, Wis.-based Capitol Insurance Cos. chose Renaissance Billing Solution from New York-based Systems Task Group International Ltd.'s (STG) to support billing and accounts receivable operations. The system will replace Capitol's existing billing systems and will enable the consolidation, centralization and the streamlining of Capitol's cash management and accounting operations. It will provide Capitol with advanced technology support, flexibility and configurability.