< Current Press Releases

UPMC Health Plan Enhances Administrative Efficiency with ikaSystems Partnership

PITTSBURGH (July 25, 2006) — In a move designed to leverage technology and streamline its administrative process, UPMC Health Plan has chosen ikaSystems' enterprise solution suite, known as ikaEnterprise.

UPMC Health Plan will implement ikaEnterprise self-service web portals to better serve the needs of members, brokers, employer groups and providers, as well as the company's internal administration staff.

The web portals are designed to streamline and automate UPMC Health Plan's Medicare, Small Group and Large Group business processes. This includes: quoting and proposal generation, plan selection, application submission, and medical underwriting. In addition, the portals will provide UPMC Health Plan with extensive online Customer Relationship Management (CRM) prospect management.

ikaSystems Corp., based in Southborough, Mass., is a leading provider of web-based, enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions for the healthcare industry.

"We are excited about implementing the ikaEnterprise system as a technology solution for our Health Plan," said Ed McCallister, Chief Information Officer for UPMC Health Plan. "We are convinced that we will receive a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace through ikaEnterprise's web portal capabilities.

"It will also help reduce administrative expenses significantly by streamlining our Medicare, Small and Large Group sales, and renewal cycle. With this, we can be more responsive to shifting market requirements. The single platform system is capable of managing online payments, e-billing, commissions and roster management."

"Our web portal system can provide a single platform that UPMC Health Plan's health administrative staff and its trading partners — such as brokers, members, employers and providers — can use to conduct all processes easily and securely," said Ravi ika, President and CEO of ikaSystems. "Our web portal system streamlines business processes through automation and the result is increased productivity and profitability."

"This partnership will give our applicants access to the next level of customer service and enhance their ability to compare our plans in order to make informed health care choices," McCallister said.

About UPMC Health Plan
UPMC Health Plan, a leading health care company located in Western Pennsylvania, is owned by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), one of the nation's top-ranked health systems. As part of an integrated health care delivery system, UPMC Health Plan partners with UPMC and other network providers to improve clinical outcomes as well as the health of the greater community. The National Committee for Quality Assurance and U.S. News & World Report listed UPMC Health Plan as the top ranked health plan in Pennsylvania, and one of the top-20 health plans in the United States. The Health Plan is the only Pennsylvania plan to receive five stars in the categories of "Prevention" and "Treatment," and is the highest-ranked managed care company in the nation for breast cancer screening, for the second consecutive year. The UPMC Insurance Services Division — which includes UPMC Health Plan, UPMC for You (Medical Assistance), Community Care Behavioral Health, and EAP Solutions — serves over 700,000 members through a network that includes UPMC providers as well as affiliated hospitals and physicians, totaling more than 80 hospitals and more than 7,000 physicians in a 28-county region.

About ikaSystems
ikaSystems (www.ikasystems.com) is a leading provider of web-based ERP solutions for the managed care industry. Based in Southborough, Massachusetts, ikaSystems offers a broad spectrum of software solutions, outsourcing, and consulting services.

The ikaEnterprise System is ikaSystems' flagship product. It is a full-service, comprehensive system that automates all the key transactions in the managed care cycle. The system consists of five standalone, self-service web portals that are tightly integrated with core transactional systems: claims processing, disease and utilization management, medical and business intelligence, HEDIS® reporting, and consumer-directed healthcare. This integrated solution provides a comprehensive web-based infrastructure for healthcare organizations, insurance carriers, and third party administrators.

< Current Press Releases