Humana 2001 Annual Report Download - page 12

Hu m a n a’s industry-leading technology innovation
is focused on improving our interactions with
all Humana stakeholders. We are leveraging our
i n v estment in technology to re m ove administrative
inefficiencies and put more control in consumers’
h a n d s .
New technologies are providing Humana members
not just with information, but with actionable
information that contributes to our consumer-
d i r ected focus. Our e-business transformation is
an important component of our overall business
s t r a t e g y. We believe that by creating compelling
consumer-focused experiences via the Internet (and
other electronic means), Humana will become the
easiest health insurer to work with.
In 2 0 0 1 , In f o rm a t i o n Week named Humana 1 7 t h
among all U.S. companies and first among all
i n s u rers for information technology innovation.
To earn such a designation, a company must
demonstrate a pattern of technological, pro c e d u r a l
and organizational innovation. For the second
c o n s e c u t i v e ye a r, Humana also was re c o g n i z ed in
the e We e k Fast Track 5 0 0 and the eHe a l t h c a re
Leadership Aw a r ds for excellence in e-business. To
s e rve our customers well, Hu m a n a’s goal is to meet
and exc e e d the standards that are being set in our
own as well as other sectors of the economy.
He r e are four examples of how we’re using
technology to become easier to interact with and
m o re re s p o n s i v e to customer needs.
Humana.com: T h r oughout 2 0 0 1 , members,
e m p l o yers, providers and agents flocked to our
Internet site. They carried out 4 2 p e r cent more
transactions on the site in 2 0 0 1 than in 2 0 0 0. We
also redesigned Humana.com in 2 0 0 1, adding richer
information and simplifying ease of use.
o f fer customers
t e c h n o l o g y
that makes sense
Finding a doctor: Consumers tell us they want
good, timely information from us about choosing a
doctor who’s right for them or about a part i c u l a r
medical condition. Humana is responding with a set
of Internet tools – including physician and hospital
a s s e s s m e n t s – that give members a source for some
of the information they seek.
In t e r a c t i ve Voice Re s p o n s e / Voice Ap p l i c a t i o n
Technology: Mo r e Humana customers are carry i n g
out routine transactions with us using our
i n t e r a c t i ve voice response systems. These calls
cost Humana far less than the calls our customer
s e rvice associates answe r. And they enable us to
respond to our members more effective l y. Also in
2001, we began using voice application technology
to make automated outbound calls to delive r
i m p o r tant information and health reminders to
members. The technology includes speech re c o g n i-
tion, which allows members to interact with the
automated vo i c e .
Pr i v acy: Vigilantly protecting our members’
p r i v acy and personal information is critical as we
seek to serve our members well and attract new
customers. To properly manage the security issues
i n vo l v ed in effectively administering our pro d u c t s ,
we make use of an array of internationally accepted
and industry - s t a n d a r d security measures. As part
of our commitment, Hu m a n a’s systems are re g u l a r l y
subjected to stringent security re v i e ws and
penetration tests by independent firms.
Technology is key to Hu m a n a’s new approach to
customer control, customer service, customer rights
and also customer responsibilities. We want to
e n s u r e that when people need information, we make
it easily accessible for them.
uses process, products and technology to enable consumers to take control of their own heal
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