Lowering Health Insurance Member Disenrollment Can Generate Up To $100 Million In Incremental Revenue For Health Plans

Lowering Health Insurance Member Disenrollment Can Generate Up To $100 Million In Incremental Revenue For Health Plans

New Research Demonstrates That Small Gains in Member Retention Yield Substantial Financial Return

Orlando, FL (Vocus) February 11, 2009

Market research conducted on behalf of ConnextionsHealth has demonstrated that health insurance plans can significantly improve revenue generation by establishing initiatives that specifically address member disenrollment. A host of economic factors are currently driving unprecedented membership losses at most health insurance plans.

Results of a proprietary study conducted by a leading management consulting firm show that a "typical" health plan with 50,000 individual plan members and $600 - $650 million in annual revenue can generate approximately $100 million in incremental revenue, as a result of lowering disenrollment rates. These results were achieved by lowering their disenrollment rate of existing members by only 5%, and of new members by only 10% over a two-year period.

In the research study, health plans that achieved those levels of improvement in their disenrollment rates all applied differentiated member retention initiatives with similar characteristics, including:
analysis of issues that arise during different stages of a member's tenure, tailored response to specific member segments, by geography, product, age, etc., identification of issues likely to generate a disenrollment event, incorporation of individual member preferences, with respect to method, frequency and choice, and ongoing collection of key member data as the foundation of pro-active and re-active tactics designed to address disenrollment.

Details on this new research, as well as other valuable market insight on the subject of member retention will be presented at the World Congress Leadership Summit on Member Retention for Health Plans, scheduled for March 18-19 at Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando.

Co-sponsored by ConnextionsHealth, the agenda for this first-of-its-kind forum will feature presentations from leading consulting and research firms, including McKinsey, Gartner and Forrester. The distinguished faculty for the Summit includes several health plan executives who will share insights and best practices on member retention, including Steve Nelson, VP of Consumerism and Retail Marketing at Highmark; Ingrid Lindberg, Chief Experience Officer at CIGNA; John Cheng, VP of Strategic Marketing at Aetna; Nickolas Stam, former SVP at BlueCross BlueShield of Florida; and Steve Auerbach, who recently left his EVP role at UnitedHealth Group to serve as President of Connextions Inc.

Through interactive workshops, best practices showcases, keynotes from recognized authorities and panel discussions, attendees will learn how to build, apply and measure member retention strategies designed to yield results similar to those in the new research on the impact of disenrollment programs. For additional information, visit www. worldcongress. com/retention (http://www. worldcongress. com/retention).

About Connextions Inc.:
Founded in 1992, Connextions and its ConnextionsHealth unit provide technology, people and industry expertise that enables its clients to grow, retain and serve customers. Connextions client list includes America's best-known corporate and healthcare organizations, including Kaiser-Permanente, Caremark, FedEx and Sprint. For information, see www. connextions. com.

About World Health Care Congress Leadership Summits:
The World Health Care Congress Leadership Summit Series addresses the most cutting edge issues for health care executives across a wide range of industry sectors. Designed to expand on topics discussed at invitation-only summits during the World Health Care Congress, this series offers new perspectives on established methodologies, and details solutions to foster innovation and change. For more information, please visit www. worldcongress. com.

For additional information:
Gordon G. Andrew
Senior Vice President
Connextions, Inc.
(407) 563-4440
Cell: (609) 987-0200

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Employers in Russia Fight Rear Guard Action

Employers in Russia Fight Rear Guard Action

2006 was set from the start to be a good year for job-seekers, but at the cost of employers. The simple fact is that virtually all companies are expanding and there are not enough good people to satisfy the demand. This has two results: employers either compromise on their requirements, i. e. find candidates with less experience, from another industry or discipline or with lower academic standards alternatively go head to head with other companies and compete with benefits – cash and non-financial.

Moscow (PRWEB) August 24, 2006

This year, 2006, was set from the start to be a good year for job-seekers, but at the cost of employers. The simple fact is that virtually all companies are expanding and there are not enough good people to satisfy the demand. This has two results: employers either compromise on their requirements, i. e. find candidates with less experience, from another industry or discipline or with lower academic standards alternatively go head to head with other companies and compete with benefits – cash and non-financial.

Many employers enter the market for talent blissfully unaware that it is already becoming a battlefield. This is a war fought by stealth and subversion rather than heavy artillery. Those companies who can react quickly and get an offer on the table will beat counteroffers by being the first to make a decision. This policy can backfire though; the charismatic, I might suggest slightly overbearing, owner one of our well-known Russian clients met a prospective employee from a FTSE100 company for a top level Finance Role. The meeting had taken months to arrange with careful courting and grooming of the candidate. The owner proclaimed amidst much triumph after 30 minutes of chitchat that the candidate was the man for the job and made an offer. It was a great offer, but a bridge too far for somebody safely ensconced in his plush offices in Central London whose first trip to Moscow had certainly been en eye-opener!

Most examples are more down to earth. Companies entering the market are desperate for ready trained staff. The easiest way to hit the deck rolling is to steal somebody else’s trained staff. Paying a 25%-50% premium for somebody is still cheaper than spending 6-12 months developing and investing in him or her. Your company will be vulnerable if you are not paying a reasonable market salary, and this constantly changing (usually upwards – unless your chosen profession is a driver!). You are slightly more secure if you are paying a performance related package with a good bonuses or commission structure, in these instances the only people who will be tempted away are staff who are average or below average performers. This then becomes self-policing and there’s a viewpoint that it’s even healthy to keep a certain level of staff turnover, particularly in a sales / commercial environment.

Employees are beginning to appreciate that if a company has to pay an unnecessarily high salary to attract somebody there may be a reason for this. The big payers are usually those companies who have to compensate for being smaller, less well known, less successful or new on the market. Big brand names with significant presence can afford to be less generous with cash rewards but generally have far more to offer by way of non-financial incentives. Those small to medium size companies still operating in the grey / semi legitimate way are losing staff as it’s difficult to get a bank loan if your stated salary is only $200 per month! Also one day the tax authorities will catch up in the end. With a 13% tax rate why would the employee want to take the risk, and from an employers’ point of view it’s plain ridiculous.

There is no end in sight for the overheating of the candidate market. I maintain it’s more conservative than pre-1998 but it’s certainly putting pressure on employers to make quick decisions, get their compensation and benefits policy tuned to the market, and retain good staff. Nobody is safe out there. Wear your flack jacket.

Tremayne Elson

Managing Partner

Antal International – Russia

Notes to Editors:

Antal International is a global executive recruitment business that was established in 1993. Antal specialises in the ‘Rising Star Recruitment’™ marketplace - mid to senior level management positions in all disciplines and across all sectors.

Over the years, Antal has been in the spotlight most notably for being the only recruitment organisation to have been listed in the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 for four consecutive years.

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First-Ever Live Webcast of an Autism and Asperger's International Conference Millions Can View Over 36 hours of Presentations from Leading Experts

First-Ever Live Webcast of an Autism and Asperger's International Conference Millions Can View Over 36 hours of Presentations from Leading Experts

For the first time ever, parents of children with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome will be able to view a live autism conference. US Autism & Asperger Association, Inc. in partnership with ZenTV, will provide a live video webcast of the USAAA 2006 International Conference to be held in Park City, Utah August 9-12, 2006 at the Yarrow Resort Hotel and Conference Center.

Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) July 30, 2006

For the first time ever, parents of children with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome will be able to view a live autism conference. US Autism & Asperger Association, Inc. (USAAA, http://www. usautism. org/ (http://www. usautism. org/)) in partnership with ZenTV (http://www. ztvlive. com/ (http://www. ztvlive. com/)), will provide a live video webcast of the USAAA 2006 International Conference to be held in Park City, Utah August 9-12, 2006 at the Yarrow Resort Hotel and Conference Center.

“We are making groundbreaking history for the autism world by providing the longest viewing live conference with 36 hours and 25 presentations over a four day period,” explained Dr. Kaplan, USAAA Executive Director.

“Viewers will learn information that will empower them to help their children, family, patients, friends, and others touched by autism. They can view online the physicians who are treating more autism patients than anyone else in the world, and learn from educators that are providing interventions that have successfully improved our children.”

Presentations will include keynote speaker Shannon Kenitz, mother of a child who was diagnosed with a very rare mitochondrial disorder that kept her daughter in the hospital virtually for the first three years of her life; gastroenterologist Dr. Federico Balzola of Turin, Italy; Dr. Robert Nataf of Paris, France; Dr. Mark Geier, former professor at John Hopkins University and researcher at the National Institutes of Health; Dr. Boyd Haley, former Chairman of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky; Dr. Jeff Bradstreet; Dr. Mary Megson; Dr. James Neubrander; Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, Valerie Herskowitz, MA-CCC-SLP; Dr. Dan Rossignol, Dr. Phillip C. DeMio, and many more.

Subscribers will be able to purchase events for each day or for the full four-day conference. Individual event days start as low as $19.95. A high-speed Internet connection is needed to view the live events. For additional information, go to www. usautism. org.

The US Autism & Asperger Association, Inc. is a Utah-based 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. The USAAA mission is to enhance the quality of life of individuals and their families/caregivers touched by autism spectrum disorders by providing educational and family support through conferences/seminars and published and electronic mediums.

ZenTV is a subsidiary of Zenworks Productions, a California-based company that specializes in providing educational content and onsite events recording/duplication. Later this fall, Zenworks will be filming a documentary in Russia following up on the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

For more information contact Dr. Kaplan, USAAA Executive Director at (801) 649-5752.

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Six Techniques Every Babysitter Should Know

Six Techniques Every Babysitter Should Know

Studies have shown that trained babysitters are more prepared to prevent emergencies through proper safety planning and to handle such incidents when they unfortunately happen.

(PRWEB) November 29, 2004

Greenville, SC (PRWEB) November 29, 2004 – Studies have shown that trained babysitters are more prepared to prevent emergencies through proper safety planning and to handle such incidents when they unfortunately happen. Every day, teenagers jump into the business of looking after the neighborhood kids – with and without adequate training - and the ones that are better trained are more confident and often receive more referrals.

TodayÂ’s babysitters need skills and awareness that past generations didnÂ’t need and the Super Babysitting DVD is packed full of tips, tricks and techniques for any child to learn. This ultimate babysitting resource covers six techniques to better prepare every potential babysitter:

• Choose safe and appropriate toys

• Preventing injuries

• How to perform basic first aid

• Feeding infants

• Dinner time techniques

• Bath and bedtime techniques

The Super Babysitting DVD is designed to give kids eleven to eighteen years old the knowledge and confidence they need to deal with any issue that may arise while they are babysitting.

“Super Babysitting contains over an hour of the essential strategies, tips and techniques that your child or grandchild needs to learn to become a successful babysitter,” says creator Judi Phillips. She goes on to explain, “They will learn the importance of being prepared for a babysitting job, what to expect and how to plan for the unexpected. Of course, they will also learn the five keys to being a super babysitter.”

Judi Phillips, MS, LPC, RPT has earned a Bachelors and Masters degrees in Psychology as well as a Registered Play Therapist. She has also worked as a mental health therapist for children and their families for over fifteen years. Nanette B. Nilsson has earned her BachelorÂ’s degree in Elementary Education and has also led Girl Scouts for over five years. The Super Babysitting DVD is available online at www. superbabysitting. com

For further information on this DVD or to request an interview contact:

Richard Myers 

864-675-0038 

RMyers1998@aol. com

Www. superbabysitting. com

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Recruiting Up Slightly in 2010

Recruiting Up Slightly in 2010

The 2010 BenchmarkPro survey results found 93.4 percent of organizations are actively recruiting personnel. This is up from 91.1 percent reported in 2009.

Kansas City, KS (PRWEB) October 28, 2010

Companies across the country are slowly beginning to recover and are looking for new talent to support their gradual economic comeback. The 2010 BenchmarkPro survey results found 93.4 percent of organizations are actively recruiting personnel. This is up from 91.1 percent reported in 2009.

To recruit new employees, organizations use a variety of methods. Advertising on the internet is the most prevalent at 81.1 percent, with newspaper advertising following at 63 percent. Employee referral programs and job fairs are utilized by over 54 percent of organizations. Nearly half of companies report using internet resume databases in recruiting new employees, while over 30 percent use sign-on bonuses or trade and professional association advertising.

"Even with the high unemployment rate, finding the right candidate to fill a position can be a long and difficult process for many employers," said Amy Kaminski, director of marketing for Compdata Surveys, the nation's leading compensation and benefits survey data provider. "Because having experienced personnel on staff will be vital to the success of companies recovering from the recession, recruiting the right personnel early on will provide companies with a competitive edge."

The popularity of recruiting methods differs by industry as job fairs are used by 75.6 percent of hospitality organizations. Companies in healthcare and banking and finance follow at 70 and 64.2 percent, respectively. Job fairs are utilized in the insurance industry at a rate of 51.6 percent. Manufacturing companies use them the least, 42.5 percent.

Recruiting trends also vary by region as sign-on bonuses are used by 38.7 percent of organizations in the Northeast with the Southeast following at 33.8 percent. Companies in the West offer sign-on bonuses at a rate of 32.7 percent, while those in the South Central use them at a rate of 32.3 percent. Midwest respondents report utilizing sign-on bonuses to recruit new personnel at a rate of 26.8 percent.

About the Survey
BenchmarkPro 2010 contains cross-industry data on over 300 benchmark job titles. Data was collected from nearly 4,000 employers reporting for almost 15,000 locations across the country. The results provide a comprehensive summary of pay data and pay practices with an effective date of March 1, 2010.

Compdata Surveys is the nation's leading compensation and benefits survey data provider. Thousands of U. S. organizations provide data each year ensuring the reliability of our results. Compdata Surveys has been providing comprehensive data at affordable prices to organizations from coast to coast since 1988. For further information about their compensation and benefits surveys, contact Amy Kaminski at (800) 300-9570.

This press release was distributed through PRWeb by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: http://www. HRmarketer. com) on behalf of the company listed above.

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Reliability, Cost Effectiveness Make RadarFind the Tracking System Choice for Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center

Reliability, Cost Effectiveness Make RadarFind the Tracking System Choice for Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center

Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, Southern New Jersey's premier regional tertiary care teaching medical center, recently chose the RadarFind Real Time Location System (RTLS) to boost its efforts to enhance patient care, reign in costs and improve infection control throughout the hospital. Our Lady of Lourdes is part of Catholic Health East, one of the nation's largest not for profit health systems.

CAMDEN, N. J. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N. C. (PRWEB) November 27, 2007

 The simplicity of RadarFind's installation, its ease of use and its ability to provide real-time status information about medical equipment throughout an entire hospital made this asset and patient tracking solution stand out from competitors, hospital officials said.

"This system will enable us to manage our equipment and monitor patient throughput more effectively and efficiently, benefiting patient care and hospital operations," said Alexander Hatala, president and CEO of Lourdes Health System. "It became quickly evident that the design of RadarFind's solution was guided by doctors and former hospital administrators who clearly understand the dynamics of hospital operations."

RadarFind also is more affordable to install than other systems, allowing hospitals to see a rapid return on investment. For example, less than a year after installing the RadarFind system, Wayne Memorial Hospital, a 316-bed facility in Goldsboro, N. C. was able to reduce equipment purchases by more than $300,000.

The Simplest Solution is the Best Solution

"RadarFind did their homework by spending considerable time actually listening to potential hospital customers and performing test trials encompassing entire hospitals--not just clinical zones," said Louis Bianchin, senior analyst from Venture Development Corporation. "Rather than using technology intended for wireless data transmission to capture location information, RadarFind elected to develop their RTLS platform with more cost-effective hardware and better accuracy. Sophisticated antenna-based technology and system components that plug into almost any AC outlet result in a simple solution that most hospitals can afford."

RadarFind's unique platform technology overcomes the limitations associated with typical RFID and WiFi solutions. Designed to seamlessly integrate with existing hospital infrastructure and operations, RadarFind requires no new wiring or ceiling and wall penetration. And unlike many other systems, RadarFind operates independently of a hospital's critical IT network.

The RadarFind system can provide room-level accuracy with no need for ongoing calibration. Readers that plug into existing electrical outlets avoid interfering with hospital operations and staff processes since there is no need to close off patient rooms during installation. Moreover, the intuitive software is simple to use and easily accommodates hospital staff skill levels.

Actionable Intelligence: The RadarFind Edge

Where many other systems provide information only about a device's location, RadarFind's intrinsically safe, programmable asset tag goes a step further by alerting staff to the device's status: available, in-use or needs cleaning/sterilization.

"Recent studies demonstrate that environmental surfaces, including mobile medical devices and computers, are a route for transmitting infectious diseases," comments Vincent Carrasco, M. D., chief medical officer for RadarFind. "By using RadarFind asset tags to track and identify mobile medical devices in order to document effective cleaning, hospitals can better address and control infection rates."

"The RadarFind system was designed specifically for the hospital environment and can scale to accurately track thousands of assets and patient encounters in the largest hospital system," said RadarFind's CEO Terry Kane, M. D. "Working in concert with our hospital customers, our ongoing technology development generates inherent flexibility to economically meet the unique demands of even the most complex hospital facility."

About RadarFind Corporation

RadarFind Corporation, a healthcare technology company, offers a unique, patent-pending Real Time Location System that uses a platform technology for tracking medical equipment and patients. Specifically designed for hospitals, the RadarFind RTLS system seamlessly integrates with existing hospital infrastructure and operations, while functioning independently of a hospital's critical WiFi system. RadarFind is based in Research Triangle Park, N. C. For more information please call 1-877-RADARFIND (723-2734) or visit www. radarfind. com.

About Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center

Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center is a regional referral center, known for providing the most sophisticated levels of care. For more than five decades, the medical center has been committed to enhancing the health and well-being of southern New Jersey's residents, particularly those most in need.

The 410-bed teaching hospital offers many specialty services, including: The New Jersey Heart Institute at Lourdes, one of the largest providers of cardiac services in the Delaware Valley; the Regional Perinatal Center for high-risk mothers and infants; the Lourdes Regional Rehabilitation Center; the Southern New Jersey Regional Dialysis Center; and the Center for Organ Transplantation. Lourdes is the only hospital in New Jersey approved to perform kidney, pancreas and liver transplants. Our Lady of Lourdes also is recognized by the American Hospital Association as a national leader in the provision of community outreach services.

Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center is part of Catholic Health East, one of the nation's largest not-for-profit health systems which includes 34 acute care hospitals and other affiliated healthcare facilities, and is sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, N. Y. For more information, please visit www. lourdesnet. org.

The 2010 Bio-IT World Best Practices Deadline Has Been Extended

The 2010 Bio-IT World Best Practices Deadline Has Been Extended

Bio-IT World is announcing a deadline extension for its 2010 Best Practices awards program. In keeping with extensions given in previous years, the 2010 extended deadline is February 19.

Needham, MA (PRWEB) January 22, 2010

Bio-IT World is announcing a deadline extension for its 2010 Best Practices awards program. In keeping with extensions given in previous years, the 2010 extended deadline is February 19.

"We're very encouraged by the interest shown already in the 2010 Bio-IT World Best Practices competition," said Dr. Kevin Davies, editor-in-chief of Bio-IT World. "We've received dozens of entries so far, and hope that the deadline extension will allow many groups to wrap up their submissions and give added opportunity for other teams to pull an entry together."

Established in 2003, this prestigious awards program is designed to recognize outstanding examples of technology and strategic innovation--initiatives and collaborations that manifestly improve some facet of the R&D/drug development/clinical trial process.

The awards attract an elite group of life science professionals: executives, entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers and clinicians responsible for developing and implementing innovative solutions for streamlining the drug development and clinical trial process. Bio-IT World's distinguished peer-review panel of judges has reviewed almost 400 entries in the program's history, with last year's 70+ entries and 10 awards breaking all previous records.

Entries will be accepted in nine categories: Basic Research & Biological Research; Drug Discovery & Development; Clinical Trials & Research; Translational Medicine; Personalized Medicine; IT & Informatics; Knowledge Management; Health-IT; and Manufacturing & Bioprocessing.

The 2010 winners will receive a unique crystal award to be presented at the Best Practices Awards dinner on Wednesday, April 21, 2010, in conjunction with the Bio-IT World Conference & Expo in Boston. The 7 track event is designed to be highly interactive with lectures, panel discussions, and various receptions as a way to facilitate networking opportunities and hear differing views and perspectives on poignant issues facing the industry today.
For more information on the program and to download the entry form, please visit www. bio-itworld. com/bestpractices (http://www. bio-itworld. com/bestpractices).

For more information on the 2010 Bio-IT World Conference & Expo, please visit www. bio-itworldexpo. com.

ABOUT BIO-IT WORLD
Bio-IT World (www. bio-itworld. com), the flagship publication of Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI), is the leading source of news on technology and strategic innovation in drug discovery, development, and clinical trials. Bio-IT World explores the tools and results of predictive biology as the industry adapts to the new world of personalized medicine.

Bio-IT World has won 34 national and regional awards, more than any other magazine covering the life sciences industry. Bio-IT World was acquired by CHI in 2006 and is part of the Cambridge Healthtech Media Group that offers a suite of published resources that include Bio-IT World magazine, numerous topic-specific eNewsletters, white papers, webcasts, podcasts, conferences, and the Bio-IT World Best Practices Awards. Established in 2001, the magazine is based in Needham, Mass.

About Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI)
Founded in 1992, Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI)--www. chicorporate. com--strives to develop quality information resources that provide valuable new insights and competing points of view while offering balanced coverage of the latest developments in the life sciences industry. Basic research related to commercial implications is covered, with heavy emphasis placed on end-user insights into new products and technology as well as coverage of the strategy behind the business.

CHI is the preeminent life science network for leading researchers and business experts from top pharmaceutical, biotech, CROs, academia, and niche service providers. CHI is renowned for its vast conference portfolio--500 conferences held worldwide--and offers a fully integrated life sciences portfolio of products, services, educational programs, analytical research reports, management consulting services, multi-media solutions, and publications including Bio-IT World. For a comprehensive listing and detailed information, visit www. chicorporate. com.

Contact:
Allison Proffitt
Managing Editor
Bio-IT World
Aproffitt(at)healthtech(dot)com
617-233-8280.

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