Healthfirst Chooses Linkwell Coupon Program to Support Member Health Improvement

NEEDHAM, Mass., July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Linkwell Health announced that Healthfirst has signed on to offer "better for you" couponing to its health plan member population. Healthfirst, in its ongoing mission to deliver optimal support to underserved populations, particularly those managing chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular issues, adds healthy coupons to its roster of programs that deliver high quality care and support. Through this partnership, Linkwell Health has worked with Healthfirst to design a relevant set of food and product coupons for chronic conditions that will be mailed directly to members' homes.

"Linkwell Health's program is exactly the type of tool that can effectively motivate healthy behaviors in our member population," says Pat Wang, President & CEO of Healthfirst. "Given the economic pressures we all feel right now, the simple intelligence of presenting guidance on nutrition through healthy coupons is ideal, especially for our plan."

Healthfirst chose Linkwell Health because of its unique ability to analyze current purchasing behavior and deliver a program to combat unhealthy patterns through practical coupon offers. Linkwell is able to track coupon redemption to present evidence of changes to member purchasing patterns both short and long term.

"Healthfirst has a clear track record of delivering award-winning communications that effectively speak to its member population," says Benjamin Gardner, President and CEO of Linkwell Health. "We jointly feel that the construct of Linkwell's program, which delivers healthy recommendations coupled with real value, is particularly relevant to Healthfirst members."

About Linkwell

Linkwell Health works with constituents across the health care and food industries to build healthy couponing programs that influence food choices of members with chronic conditions.  Applying insights from purchase data, Linkwell Health designs customized couponing to incentivize healthier choices at the grocery store. The program analyzes purchase patterns both before and after implementation to enable plans and employers to assess impact. Founded in 2007, Linkwell Health is a privately-owned company working with leaders in the health care industry. For more information, please visit www.linkwellhealth.com.

About Healthfirst

Established in 1993, Healthfirst is a not-for-profit managed care organization that provides high-quality healthcare coverage to low-income individuals and families living in New York. Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of underserved populations by providing effective managed care services through comprehensive provider partnerships and reinvesting in our hospitals. Healthfirst offers a variety of government-sponsored health insurance programs, including New York State's Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus, Medicaid, and Medicare. The Healthfirst family of companies includes Healthfirst in New York, Healthfirst NJ in New Jersey and HF Management Services, which provides comprehensive administrative services to healthcare organizations in New York, New Jersey and Florida. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.healthfirstny.org

SOURCE Linkwell Health