Community First Health Plans Selects TCS Healthcare Technologies’ Care Management Software System

TCS’ ACUITY to Support Health Plans Next Generation of Care Management Programs both for Commercial and Special Need Populations

San Antonio, Texas and Auburn, California - March 27, 2008

Community First Health Plans, Southern Texas’s only locally owned and operated, non-profit HMO, announced today that it has selected TCS Healthcare Technologies, acuity advanced care™ (ACUITY ) to support its next generation of care management programs sponsored by the health plan.  

Community First President and CEO Charles L. Kight notes, “During our ten years of service to the local communities, we have made great strides in becoming a fully mature health plan with a strong balance between our commercial and government-sponsored programs. Purchasing and implementing TCS’s ACUITY care management application is the next logical step in our ability to take even better care of our individual members, along with the plan sponsors.   ACUITY will become a core part of our strategy going forward as we continue to support and serve our 110,000 members, who are divided almost equally among Commercial, Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).”

During a recent annual meeting of the Texas Association of Health Plans, Kight was honored for all he has done for health care in Texas during the past three decades, and particularly for his role in shaping public policy and legislation around the Medicaid and CHIP programs. 

Rob Pock, Chair and Founder of TCS Healthcare Technologies, an industry leader in the development of medical management software applications, remarks that “TCS is excited and proud to support a health plan like Community First because of their mission to serve the residents in the San Antonio region, including eight surrounding counties.  A primary goal of ACUITY is to empower case managers, attending physicians, care givers and other interested parties to work together as a coordinated team to best serve individuals with a wide range of health care needs.”

Since the early 1980s, Pock has pioneered and led the development of several care management software innovations.  Today, ACUITY is recognized by many industry experts as a best-in-class application due to its ability to automate and integrate various medical management programs, including care treatment plans for chronically ill patients. 

Susan Dickerson, RN, BSN, CCM, Community First’s VP of Health Services Management, adds, “ACUITY was the only care management software application that met our unique needs as a growing health plan, both in the public and private sectors.  We liked the fact that ACUITY is designed to be member-centric, fully integrated, and case manager friendly.  Once implemented, ACUITY will help us better manage special-need populations, such as neonates and the full range of patient conditions often found in employer-sponsored plans.”

Kight comments further that “ACUITY was selected by Community First in large part because the care management system is the best value in terms of both cost and functionality.  Community First is uniquely situated to take advantage of ACUITY to improve health outcomes within our community-based system.”

For more information about TCS Healthcare Technologies or ACUITY , please contact John Sekerak at (530) 886-1700 ext. 211 or jsekerak@tcshealthcare.com .

For more information about Community First Health Plans, please contact Karen Glenney at (210) 358-6142 or kglenney@cfhp.com.

Community First Health Plans (www.cfhp.com) was established in 1995 by the University Health System specifically to begin providing health care coverage to the citizens of Bexar and the surrounding counties. As the only locally owned and managed, non-profit health plan in the area, our commitment to our members is to provide great health care benefits backed by outstanding service, delivered by people who live right here in South Texas.

TCS Healthcare Technologies (www.tcshealthcare.com) is a leading provider of software and clinical solutions that improve medical management (UM/CM/DM) performance and effectiveness for health plans, insurers, providers, third party administrators, medical management companies, and other health care organizations, who serve both the private and public sectors. 

Contact: 

Karen Glenney
Director, Corporate Communications
Community First Health Plans
Phone: (210) 358-6142
Email: KGlenney@cfhp.com
Website:  www.cfhp.com

John Sekerak
VP of Business Development
TCS Healthcare Technologies
Phone:  (530) 886-1700 ext. 211
Email:   info@tcshealthcare.com
Website: www.tcshealthcare.com