New Market Challenges Drive FirstCare to Choose HealthEdge’s Award-Winning HealthRules Technology Platform

HealthRules’ advanced capabilities will enable FirstCare to achieve new levels of business agility, transparency and efficiency

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HealthEdge</a>, provider of the only modern, enterprise-class software platform for health care payors, today announced that Austin, Texas-based FirstCare Health Plans has selected the patented HealthRules product suite to enable them to address the many business imperatives that are driving the new health care economy. Serving over 130,000 members, FirstCare provides a wide variety of health care options and services to both organizations and individuals in Texas.

“FirstCare prides itself on its solid track record of meeting the changing needs of its clients,” said Arik Hill, FirstCare’s chief information officer. “We realized several years ago that our ability to remain competitive in the rapidly changing health care market would depend on having the latest technology at our disposal. With that in mind, we completed an exhaustive, multi-year search for a new core platform that would enable us to address upcoming market demands, quickly adopt new health care standards like ICD-10, dramatically increase efficiency and offer our customers an even greater selection of cutting-edge products and services.”

“When the search was complete,” Hill continued, “our review committee agreed that the choice was obvious. After a careful review of all of the leading competitors, we believe that HealthRules is the only option for payors that are looking for a modern, flexible, 21^st century health care platform. The HealthRules product suite will provide us with the flexibility, power and capabilities that we will need as we continue to grow our business, and as we continue to expand our offerings to our customers.”

“We are thrilled to have been selected by FirstCare to provide their next-generation health care technology platform,” said HealthEdge CEO Rob Gillette. “Their decision to purchase HealthRules after a comprehensive review of all available solutions is yet another powerful validation of the unique capabilities that we offer today’s health care payors. We look forward to working with the FirstCare team to further enhance their claims and benefit administration capabilities, increase operational efficiencies, improve business transparency and decrease administrative costs.”

About FirstCare Health Plans

FirstCare Health Plans was born & bred in Texas and they are extremely proud of that heritage. FirstCare is owned by two highly respected religious-based health systems - Covenant Health Systems in Lubbock, Texas and Hendrick Health Systems in Abilene, Texas. They were founded in 1985 and now serve the health insurance needs for more than 130,000 members. Their goal is to provide the highest quality health care services at a reasonable price. They believe that health care should be within the reach of all Texans, and they work hard to provide flexible plans that suit their customer’s needs.

• FirstCare provides comprehensive health care services to HMO subscribers and their enrolled dependents within their approved service area.
• FirstCare also owns Southwest Life & Health Insurance Company (SWL&H), which offers the FirstCare PPO and life insurance products.
• FirstCare Administrative Services adds to our portfolio by providing self-funded services.

FirstCare’s corporate headquarters are located in Austin, Texas. They also have offices in Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock, and Waco. For more information, please visit www.firstcare.com.

About HealthEdge

HealthEdge provides the only modern, enterprise-class software platform for health care payors. Using the patented, award-winning HealthRules software suite, health plans and other payors can respond to business opportunities and market changes within hours rather than the usual months or years, while drastically reducing both IT and operational costs. Leveraging an investment of more than $125 million, HealthRules is the most modern, scalable, and cost-effective technology in the industry. HealthEdge provides the competitive advantage that enables payors to thrive in the dynamic health care environment. For more information, visit www.healthedge.com or call 781-285-1300.

Pan Communications, Inc.Michael Sullivan, 978-474-1900
healthedge@pancomm.com

Source: HealthEdge