CPM Corporation Announces Core Communications To Improve Customer Contact, Health All Year Long.

Business Editors

EAST PEORIA, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 31, 2000

Customer Potential Management (CPM) Corporation, a healthcare customer relationship management (CRM) expert and CRM health portal developer, announces its core communications program, an automated series of health messages and offers to inform and encourage people to keep their health on a recommended maintenance schedule. Core communications are the basic messages organizations need to fulfill their mission of community wellness. Healthcare providers benefit by regularly keeping in touch with their patients and prospects with individualized health-related content and offers. Recipients benefit by receiving health information and recommendations that may lengthen or save their lives and improve the quality of life.

CPM developed the program to respond to market forces and consumer behavior that indicate generic newsletters, ads and community events are not as effective as desired in improving health and building long-term loyalty and patient relationships and retention.

"The core communications program responds to increased consumerism, competition and reduced profitability, by increasing the relevancy and efficiency of health messages," says John Hallick, CPM president. "We're confident both the program strategy and mechanics will reduce the cost of marketing while increasing the return on investment."

Strategically, core communications are defined by a schedule of "health maintenance" check-ups and immunizations similar to a car maintenance program. These events offer many reasons and opportunities for healthcare organizations to communicate with their market on a regular basis.

The core communications program consists of 188 "trigger events" for which CPM has developed template letters that organizations personalize with their own logo, street and web addresses, and phone. In addition to facts about screenings and immunizations, the core communications program also incorporates letters about health education and wellness classes, patient outcome surveys and new movers programs. Many core communications reflect the need to develop a dialogue with consumers about wellness rather than sickness. The goal is to keep customers as healthy as possible, but develop relationships of trust that result in choice of the healthcare provide when customers DO need services.

Core communications are generally triggered by data such as age, sex and health profile. Based upon information in the organization's customer relationship management (CRM) database, each core communication message is sent to only those who would benefit from the specific topic or event. For example, a letter about prostate screenings would generally be sent to males age 40 and above, although they could selectively be sent to younger males with a family history of the disease. CPM's Consumer Healthcare Utilization Index(TM) (CHUI), a predictive health utilization tool, works well with this program to determine the audience for specific triggers based on health need. The three CHUI levels allow for individual scoring of in the 25 major diagnostic categories (MDC), 100 plus top diseases and procedures of the 21st century, and the 29 diagnostic related groups (DRG) or medical service areas.

The core communications program includes a survey and tracking mechanism that allows providers to determine if messages are leading to service at their locations and if so, whether that service is actually improving health.

CPM's communications management program, DSS Communicator(TM), is the power behind and runs the core communications program. An intelligent decision engine constantly searches the CRM database for information about who needs to receive which communication at what time and through which channel. It then chooses the appropriate channel and message, and notifies the appropriate people of the action. As consumer responses are gathered, the automated communications management program notifies appropriate personnel when offer fulfillment or other action is required. It sends this information back to the CRM database to make it more robust and to generate tracking reports.

The core communications program forms the hub of a total CRM marketing strategy, supported by branding communications (to increase awareness, recognition and enhance the organization's image) and strategic communications (to promote specific programs or services such as a new women's center). The total CRM marketing strategy uses all CRM touch points--call center, e-mail and CRM health portal. Combined with branding and strategic programs, core communications leverage the CRM investment for greater ROI and efficiency. Particularly as the use of the CRM health portal to send and receive messages, increases, the production time and cost of direct mail will dramatically decrease.

To learn more about core communications, read our new white paper "Core Communications: Achieving Better Health Maintenance and Patient Loyalty" at www.cpm.com in the press room.

About CPM

Customer Potential Management (CPM) Corporation is an international leader in solving social and business problems through integrated customer information marketing databases and marketing strategies. CPM's customer relationship management solution allows healthcare providers to manage their customer relationships through targeted, personalized communications, which build loyal long-tern patient relationships.

Since 1981, CPM has been redefining marketing with technology, helping clients market to a "segment of one" by:

-- Developing enterprise-wide data warehouses that can be accessed via the
Internet with appropriate security.

-- Matching the client's products or services with the needs of their current
and potential customers through behavior prediction modeling.

-- Developing data-driven marketing strategies supported by creative services
to reach customers with direct marketing, advertising, and integrated
production.

-- Tracking response to marketing programs to measure their impact and
cost-effectiveness.

CPM's intelligent CRM pieces fit together seamlessly into an application framework that produces a single, top-level business strategy. CPM is headquartered in East Peoria, Illinois. For more information, contact CPM at [phone], or visit the company's web site at www.cpm.com.