Press Release

Manasquan, N.J., USA, July 14, 2005 – In this modern age of consumer-driven healthcare, web-based tools and e-health initiatives provide a new vehicle by which consumers can speed down the information highway. And the healthcare industry is encouraging them to step on the gas.

A direct pathway to improved quality of care, e-tools enhance the fundamental link between patients and providers. Healthcare organizations are capitalizing on these mechanisms of extended awareness and accountability outside examination rooms.

“All components of healthcare are now impacted by technology,” said audio conference panelist Erin Lenox, associate, Hilb, Rogal & Hobbs. “We’re trying to find the balance between using technology, which is efficient and effective, and maintaining a personal, targeted approach.”

“Using Web Technologies in Consumer-Driven Healthcare,” a January 19, 2005 audio conference on CD-ROM sponsored by the Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN), highlights emerging e-tools and their role in consumer-driven healthcare . During this 90-minute audio conference on CD-ROM, expert speakers outline innovative strategies for tapping into the Internet to engage consumers as partners in their own treatment plans. For more information, please visit the HIN bookstore for more information.

Widespread demands for cost-effectiveness and productive service have driven the healthcare industry to maximize Internet resources for high-tech, high-touch patient connection. Readily accessible online measurement tools, personalized health and risk reduction assessments, condition-specific internet channels and interactive clinical support promote consumer education and enable personal accountability, two integral components in successful cost-saving endeavors.

“Consumers don’t really understand health insurance very well, nor do they understand healthcare,” said co-presenter Kim Bellard, vice-president, eMarketing and customer resource management, Highmark Inc. “But the world is starting to change. Information is much more widely available in the current world than it has ever been in the past. Consumers are now researching options. They’re seeing ads on TV and asking about certain drugs, treatment paths and studies. The Internet is making a lot of these things possible.”

These speakers underscore the most effective online initiatives and how they can be used to spur consumers toward health consciousness. They discuss multiple strategies to this end and offer suggestions for facilitating patient engagement, including details on:

• e-health strategies and decision support tools for consumers;
• How IT products can be used to educate consumers about their coverage;
• Current technology capabilities and future systems;
• e-health and consumerism;
• Driving consumer adoption rates of technology; and
• Ensuring customer satisfaction.

“We want to provide consumers with the information they need to be better purchasers,” added Bellard, “particularly in a world where they’re paying more out of their own pocket.”

This 90-minute audio conference on CD-ROM benefits product and benefits managers, marketing directors, managed care and insurance companies, physician groups and ancillary companies, hospitals and IT vendors. Also included on the CD-ROM are detailed outlines of the panelists’ presentations and a live question-and-answer session in which participants have open access to the speakers’ expertise. For more details on related products and upcoming audio conferences, visit the HIN bookstore.

About the Healthcare Intelligence Network -- HIN is the premier advisory service for executives seeking high-quality strategic information on the business of healthcare. For more information, contact the Healthcare Intelligence Network, PO Box 1442, Wall Township, NJ, USA, 07719-1442, (888) 446-3530, fax (732) 292-3073, e-mail info@hin.com, or visit www.hin.com.

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