Eliza Corporation and Independent Health Receive Award for Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Engagement and Protection from URAC

DANVERS, Mass. and BUFFALO, N.Y., Oct. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Eliza Corporation ("Eliza"), the pioneer and recognized leader in health engagement management, and Independent Health, a leader and innovator in the healthcare market, received an award for Health Care Consumer Engagement and Protection from URAC, a leading health care accreditation organization.  This award is in recognition of the achievements that are effectively advancing the role of consumers as active participants in health care through quality measurement and data analytics.  The award was announced during the 2013 Best Practices Awards Gala as part of URAC's Annual Quality Summit, held September 30 – October 2, 2013, in Washington, DC. 

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"This year's Best Practices Awards winners are recognized for their leadership in driving innovation for the health care industry," said Kylanne Green, President and CEO of URAC. "These companies have made a difference in the lives of consumers by implementing leading programs with results that matter."

The 'Staying Healthy' campaign was initiated by Independent Health to improve the health of their Medicare members by driving adherence with important preventive services for which they're eligible, offering tailored educational information, and positively impacting the outcomes that influence Medicare Star HEDIS-based measures.  The campaign integrated best practices and proprietary behavioral intelligence insights from Eliza's STAR Year-in-the-Life solution – delivered through Eliza's integrated and multi-modal platform.  The population-based preventive health outreach engaged Medicare members in conversation across mediums with a data-driven approach designed to uncover barriers and motivations, and drive behavior change.

As a result of the 'Staying Healthy' campaign, members' health measurably improved – with the interactions yielding quantifiable outcomes for key clinical measures (based on claims data and compared to a control group that didn't receive the intervention), including:

• 32.4 percent increase in breast cancer screenings;
• 20.9 percent increase in colorectal cancer screenings;
• 28.3 percent increase in glaucoma screenings;
• 17.5 percent increase in LDL; and
• 13.2 percent increase in osteoporosis screenings.

Eliza's solutions are designed to leverage behavioral intelligence, member segmentation and targeting/tailoring strategies. Eliza's analytics approach helped Independent Health better understand their members - what Eliza terms as knowing "what makes people tick."  The knowledge informed interactions in a feedback loop allowing Independent Health to continuously recalibrate communications to enhance effectiveness – for the 'Staying Healthy' campaign and future health engagement management programs. 

"It's an honor to be recognized by URAC for the work we've done with Independent Health in improving their members' health.  Closing clinical gaps in care and improving quality – particularly within the context of Medicare Star metrics – is a goal for all of us," said John Shagoury, President and CEO of Eliza Corporation.  "We've learned over time that influencing health behaviors is more than simply reminding people what they need to do  – it requires  a data-driven understanding of what inspires behavior – and the  informed delivery of timely, relevant, and valuable content – creating interactions that assess and address  the barriers and motivations that drive decisions and deliver outcomes.  The 'Staying Healthy' campaign was successful because it resonated with real people living busy lives – leveraging our own best practices – including our proprietary behavioral intelligence, interaction design, and communication strategy – along with Independent Health's strategies and resources to engage members and drive behavior." 

"Eliza was instrumental in helping Independent Health achieve our highly ranked quality outcomes with our Medicare Advantage members," said Thomas J. Foels, M.D., Independent Health's chief medical officer.  "These types of initiatives are effective at encouraging members to see their doctor and get important screenings, tests and treatments.  Eliza enables us to keep our members well informed about ways they can be engaged in their own health."

Click here for more information about Eliza's comprehensive Year-in-the-Life STAR solution or email [email protected].

About URAC
URAC is a national accreditation leader, offering over 30 highly regarded accreditation programs that span the health care spectrum.  Our programs are created and updated by independent industry-spanning experts to address the latest market trends and needs, exemplified by our recently launched Clinical Integration and Accountable Care Accreditation Programs.  The nation's leading Case Management Accreditor, URAC recently launched the enhanced Case Management Accreditation program which addresses the increased focus on improving care coordination across the evolving health care landscape. Our Health Plan Accreditation program carries HHS approval to accredit health plans on Exchanges in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  URAC's accreditation programs are formally recognized by six federal agencies, as well as 48 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

About Independent Health
Headquartered in Buffalo, Independent Health began operations in 1980 and has consistently been rated among the top health plans in the country for customer service and member satisfaction. Independent Health's comprehensive portfolio of product and service offerings include HMO, POS, PPO and EPO products, Medicare and Medicaid plans, traditional indemnity insurance, consumer-directed plans, coverage for self-funded employers, plus health savings account (HSA) and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services. Combined, the company provides health benefits and services to nearly 375,000 individuals in Western New York and throughout the country. For more information, visit Independent Health's website at www.independenthealth.com.

About Eliza Corporation
Eliza Corporation ("Eliza") is devoted to making people happier, healthier, and more productive. The pioneer and recognized leader in Health Engagement Management, Eliza draws from more than a billion interactions with people about their health and blends behavioral intelligence, technology, and communication expertise to improve care experiences, reduce costs and advance population health. Each program is powered by Eliza's engagement-based analytics and population segmentation, and delivered via our patented speech recognition technology, rich web and multi-modal delivery platform (including automated calls, emails, text messages, mail, social and mobile interactions). These programs consistently yield the best outcomes in the industry in terms of increased engagement, health and wellness measures, and sustainable ROI. Eliza was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Danvers, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.elizacorporation.com.

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SOURCE Eliza Corporation