Humana 1999 Annual Report Download - page 10

enviable expertise and excellence
in tending to the unique health
care needs of all age brackets of
the female population. Our
HumanaBeginnings program in
Louisville has reduced the number
of newborn babies admitted to
hospitals' neonatal intensive care
units by 29 percent compared to
the admission rates of infants of
nonparticipating Louisville mothers.
Our breast cancer prevention
program saves lives, and has been
honored as an exemplary plan by
the American Association of Health
Plans in conjunction with The
Commonwealth Group, a national
foundation that funds health
research. Since early 1999
Dr. Krockover has been the host of
the “HealthBeat” news and
information segment three times
weekly on WLKY-TV in Louisville.
The Web site associated with
the program, located at
www.humana.com/healthbeat/home
.html, is extremely popular and
Dr. Krockover has made herself
available to answer online questions
through our contract with
Healtheon/WebMD.
Internet technology.
To be competitive we must embrace
technology and increase both our
access to information and the
efficiency with which we do
business. With this in mind, we
are broadening and deepening
connectivity with our members
through our existing platforms,
while at the same time building a
new generation of completely
Internet-enabled platforms.
Electronic business will reduce
administrative costs as functions
that were performed manually are
automated. “E-enabling” our
current platforms also involves
improving those platforms’
interactive voice response and
electronic data interchange
capabilities. With proper alignment,
electronic business can also improve
managed care's medical expense
ratio, taking advantage of improved,
real-time information to enhance
medical management processes and
outcomes. At the same time that
we pursue electronic capability of
existing platforms, our agreement
with EDS is enabling us to build a
new Internet-enabled business
model from the ground up.
The major benefit of electronic
conversion will be the service we
provide to our customers, members
and physicians. To a large extent,
electronic business enables “service”
to become “self-service” — which is
consistent with what members and
customers tell us they want. It also
contributes to our growing focus on
becoming market-centric, because
it gives local associates the tools
they need to serve customers and
physicians on a local basis. Applying
the successful Cincinnati model,
our core markets are developing
dedicated operations teams in all
our service centers. We expect to
derive many benefits from this
alignment, including:
increased integration,
alignment, understanding and
communication between the
markets and the service centers
that support them;
alignment of processes, training
and incentives within the
markets; and
simplification of the service
function, because our associates
have fewer products and
contracts to administer.
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our goal
Trust can never be granted; it can only be earned — through the consistent
provision of quality service, and by treating our members the way we would want
our moms, dads, sons and daughters to be treated.
— David A. Jones, Chairman of the Board
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TRUST