Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico makes announcement.ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 1996--Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Shield A US not-for-profit health care insurer that is a reimbursement intermediary for physicians. Cf Blue Cross. of New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). announced today that it will become the first health plan in the region to offer Healtheon's Internet-based benefits enrollment and information system to employers and members. The Healtheon service gives customers electronic tools to better manage their health care and benefits needs - online and available 24 hours a day. "It is our goal to add value in the services we offer our customers," said Norm Becker, president of BCBSNM. "We are committed to providing the best technology and services available to empower empower verb To encourage or provide a person with the means or information to become involved in solving his/her own problems our customers to make better decisions about their benefit plans and health care. "We believe integrating Healtheon's online program will significantly enhance our service to our customers by giving them more direct control over their health care," Becker said. "Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico will be on the forefront of providing its customers advanced health management services," said Jim Clark Jim Clark - Dr. James H. Clark , founder and chairman of Healtheon. "We view this agreement as the beginning of a strong relationship enabling us to partner with BCBSNM to deliver useful services to their customers today and into the future." Healtheon's online health and benefits information services See Information Systems. streamline the benefits management process by making information more accessible in an easy-to-use graphical format. Employees and group benefit managers with access to the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the can find information about benefits coverage and services, and manage benefits online, at their desktops or from their home computers. The services automate To turn a set of manual steps into an operation that goes by itself. See automation. enrollment and management of members in health plans; display summary descriptions and graphical, cafeteria-style selections that make it easy for members to evaluate and enroll in specific health and benefit plans; and to evaluate costs and payment options. For example, right now a BCBSNM customer who wants to add a dependent to a health benefit plan must fill out a paper form and submit that form to his or her human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. department which, in turn, sends it to BCBSNM. After a few days the employee receives confirmation of the change. With the Healtheon service, the employee can log on to a desktop computer, enter a secure password, and add the dependent to their health benefits plan with immediate confirmation. Both BCBSNM and Healtheon are committed to security of the information. Healtheon has adopted proven methodologies, along with state-of-the-art industrial strength security technology so that all participants can be confident of the privacy and integrity of information gathered and exchanged. BCBSNM and its subsidiary, HMO HMO health maintenance organization. HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, New Mexico, provide healthcare benefits to 185,000 members throughout the state. The company is strategically investing in healthcare technology to give information to customers and providers that will help them make better decisions about their healthcare needs. Healtheon is the premier supplier of Internet-based online healthcare information and services. The Palo Alto-based company is dedicated to harnessing the Internet and other leading-edge technologies to provide industry-specific business solutions. Healtheon was founded in 1996 by Jim Clark, founder and chairman of Silicon Graphics and Netscape Communications, David Schnell, M.D., founding president and chief executive officer, and Pavan pa·vane also pa·van n. 1. A slow, stately court dance of the 16th and 17th centuries, usually in duple meter. 2. A piece of music for this dance. Nigam, vice president of engineering. -0- Note: The web site for Healtheon Corp. is http://www.healtheon.com |
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