TriZetto Reorganizes Its Operations; MedCom Signs Up Matsushita
Healthcare service plans are dipping their toes into the alternative-coverage market. Two weeks ago, this column had an item about PacifiCare of California, Cypress, deciding to pay for some alternative medicine options for its commercial HMO patients, particularly acupuncture and chiropractic care.
Now Health Net, which operates commercial and Medicare HMOs, said it will begin providing coverage for acupuncture and herbal supplements on Sept. 1. Approximately 118,000 Orange County Health Net members will be eligible for the new coverage, said Lisa Kalustian, spokeswoman for the Woodland Hills-based managed healthcare company. Employer groups can add either acupuncture benefits with or without herbal supplement coverage or both acupuncture and chiropractic benefits.
Health Net officials said they added the new benefits because research showed a growing demand for healthcare that complements traditional approaches. The benefits, among other things, allow members to self-refer to an acupuncture provider and pay as little as nothing or up to a $15 co-payment, depending on the plan design.
Health Net actually is no stranger to some facets of alternative medicine. For example, it said it has been offering direct coverage for chiropractic care since 1990.
TriZetto Restructures
TriZetto Group, Newport Beach, recently created three distinct business units within its operational structure. TriZetto provides various information technology services to healthcare clients, including being an application services provider.
TriZetto’s new units are: TriZetto ASP Solutions, headed by Daniel Spirek, one of the company’s original founders; HealthWeb Inc., headed by Lu Kabir; and Erisco Managed Care Technologies Inc., headed by Anthony Bellomo. Erisco is being acquired by TriZetto.
HealthWeb is the company’s Internet platform and assists healthcare administrators and professionals in performing routine tasks. It is also intended to stimulate information exchange and e-commerce among providers, health plans, health plan members and employers.
Erisco will focus on software licensing, said Jeff Margolis, TriZetto’s president and chief executive, in a statement.
Additionally, TriZetto said Wausau Benefits and Seabury & Smith, two national benefit-plan administrators, signed contracts for HealthWeb.
Matsushita Taps MedCom
MedCom USA Inc., Irvine, said Matsushita, parent company of the Panasonic electronics conglomerate, purchased DCB Actuaries and Consultants’ Vflex product. DCB is a wholly owned subsidiary of MedCom USA.
Vflex stands for Virtual Flexible Benefits and allows a company’s employees to administer their own benefits over a company’s intranet. Matsushita, which first introduced a flexible benefits program last year, plans to put Vflex into place next month. DCB developed the product with Bacon and Woodrow, a U.K. firm through which the sale to Matsushita was made.
David Robinson, MedCom’s vice president and chief information and technology officer, said MedCom anticipates the fee for Vflex to be in the range of $150,000 to $200,000 per installation depending on what features are included in the product.
Hospital Adds Breast-Care Screening
Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Fountain Valley, introduced a free risk assessment program developed by the National Cancer Institute at its breast care center. Risk assessment screenings will be available for patients who come in for their yearly mammograms and fill out a medical history questionnaire related to breast cancer risks. After the risk is calculated, the center will offer counseling about test results and risk factors for patients.
Bits and Pieces:
PacifiCare Health Systems, Santa Ana, is a sponsor of a national anti-discrimination campaign started by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. PacifiCare said its participation is linked to its focus on treatment of depression and four other major illness categories Beckman Coulter Inc., Fullerton, signed a $15 million contract with Oakwood Healthcare System Laboratories in Dearborn, Mich. Beckman Coulter will be the sole provider of diagnostic instruments and consumables for Oakwood’s core laboratory under the deal Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, changed its name to Irvine Regional Hospital and Medical Center Nexell Therapeutics Inc., Irvine, said investigators at some major U.S. laboratories are using its cell culture bags in research protocols designed to genetically modify stem cells and T-lymphocytes Radiance Medical Systems Inc., Irvine, will receive a U.S. patent for combining stenting and radiation on a single catheter Techniclone Corp., Tustin, said its Cotara clinical trial for brain cancer expanded to include the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Techniclone also is kicking off a road show in New York to introduce itself to potential institutional investors and stock analysts Thehealthchannel.com, Newport Beach, launched a redesigned Web site earlier this month Dentalxchange.com, Irvine, said it added audio education files to its Web-based dentist directory.
