NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have granted approval for a HIP Health Plan initiative to conduct field enrollment of Medicare beneficiaries in their homes and other convenient locations using wireless technology.
According to CMS, HIP is the first health plan in the New York region to develop and obtain authorization to implement the enrollment process. While CMS could not confirm, it appears that HIP is also first in the nation to do so.
Developed as the HIP Mobile Sales Application (MSA) system, it provides HIP’s field sales force with tablet PCs, portable color printers and scanners capable of scanning original documents in color, from credit card size to legal size. Tablet PCs equipped with a cellular data card and point-and-click electronic forms are tightly integrated into HIP’s database and existing marketing and enrollment structure.
“For HIP’s customers, our wireless enrollment system translates into beneficiaries experiencing more personal, productive and focused visits with our field staff,” said John A. Kennedy, Vice President, Sales & Marketing. “Enrollment issues will be resolved on the spot and it will be another strong element in our continuing drive to improve customer satisfaction, an ongoing top priority at HIP.”
The system will not only afford exceptional convenience to beneficiaries, it is expected to make HIP’s field staff more productive. Interviews and applications can be completed in one visit, because problems can be resolved during the process. In addition, the system is likely to provide administrative savings to HIP. Wireless enrollment is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2005.
With this new initiative, HIP Health Plan of New York continues its national leadership for information technology. HIP provides its members access to quality, affordable health care from convenient, leading hospitals, medical groups and doctors in private practice. With HIP’s acquisition of Vytra Health Plans and ConnectiCare, approximately 1.4 million members receive care from about 41,000 providers in over 61,000 locations in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. In addition and pending regulatory approval, HIP has acquired PerfectHealth, a provider of high deductible health insurance policies in the New York market.
HIP Health Plan of New York
CONTACT: Ron Maiorana, +1-646-447-6269, rmaiorana@hipusa.com
Web site: http://www.hipusa.com/
