ANN ARBOR, MICH. – November 12, 2008 – HealthMedia, Inc., the pioneer in applying advanced technology to emulate a health coaching session via the web – without the coach – for wellness, disease management, behavioral health, medication adherence, and aging well, has received a three-year contract renewal from MedCost Benefit Services. In addition to the HealthMedia® Succeed™ HRA and programs for smoking cessation, weight management, nutrition improvement, and stress reduction, the new contract adds HealthMedia’s behavioral health programs for insomnia, depression, and binge eating.
With the growing prevalence of mental health issues such as depression, insomnia, and binge eating and their significant impact on productivity and healthcare costs, companies like MedCost are filling gaps for their employers in these areas. HealthMedia’s suite of behavioral health programs that include HealthMedia® Relax™, Overcoming™ Depression, Overcoming™ Insomnia, and Overcoming™ Binge Eating, show exceptional results and significant cost savings - up to 95 percent of traditional treatment. The programs address the prevalence and negative impact of poor mental health on productivity, healthcare costs, and co-morbid chronic health conditions.
“Studies tell us that one in four adults suffers from some form of mental disorder each year,” said Sharon W. Lambros, Chief Operating Officer at MedCost Benefit Services. “HealthMedia programs address important factors such as accessibility, cost, confidentiality, efficacy, and scalability – all vital to the health of our membership and the success of our business.”
“Most organizations like to talk about the health care continuum and population health,” said HealthMedia President Ted Dacko. “Yet, the reality is that many are still engrained in the mental health carve out model of care. You can’t have it both ways. MedCost is actually delivering health care that connects emotional and psychological health to physical health - giving their membership the opportunity to achieve optimal overall population health.”
HealthMedia’s Client Services team has supported MedCost in deploying a series of promotional strategies to carry out the broader MedCost wellness offering. With assistance from HealthMedia, MedCost has adopted promotional collateral to initiate engagement, promote participation, and establish brand with end users. “MedCost is pleased with the rate of participation achieved so far. We anticipate participation will continue to increase throughout the remainder of the year,” Lambros said.
HealthMedia has provided onsite training and consulting for MedCost, including participation engagement strategies and outcomes presentations for its customers and motivational interview training for MedCost staff. “We have established a great working relationship with the leadership at MedCost and we’re happy to share HealthMedia’s knowledge and expertise to support their overall health and wellness objectives,” said Dr. Kevin Wildenhaus, Ph.D., HealthMedia Director of Behavioral Science. “One of HealthMedia’s greatest strengths is our commitment to be on call and open for customer inquiries or requests for support. Making sure our customers are happy and see the true value of our offering is the absolute best recipe for continued growth and success.”
About MedCost
MedCost Benefit Services is the premier third party administrator (TPA) in North and South Carolina. Administering benefits for employers of various sizes, MedCost focuses on controlling health care costs through a comprehensive PPO Network, innovative health management solutions, and managing health care trends. MedCost Benefit Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of MedCost, LLC, which is jointly owned by Carolinas Healthcare System and North Carolina Baptist Hospital. For more information, visit www.mbstpa.com.
About HealthMedia, Inc.
HealthMedia, Inc. is the world’s innovator in combining advanced technology and behavioral science to effectively emulate a health coach via the web. HealthMedia applies its revolutionary Fusion™ technology to address the most problematic pain points facing the health industry today: participation, scalability, cost, efficacy, ownership, and return on investment. HealthMedia’s suite of interventions provides automated web-based coaching for wellness, disease management, behavioral health, and medication adherence with proven outcomes, increased compliance, reduced medical utilization, and increased productivity – boosting profitability for health plans, employers, pharmaceutical companies, and behavioral health organizations. Clients include Kaiser Permanente, Daiichi Sankyo, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, Inc., Community First Health Plans, and nine Blue Cross Blue Shield organizations across the United States. HealthMedia partners include APS Healthcare,
LifeSynch, Health Dialog, Wellsource, and SHPS. For more information, visit www.healthmedia.com.
Editorial Contact
Caren Kenney
Director of Corporate Communications
508-942-4407
ckenney@healthmedia.com
Secondary Contact
Mia Cupp
Corporate Communications Manager
734-536-2006
mcupp@healthmedia.com