PACE Association Announces Hiring of CEO
Pearson Health Solutions Introduces Informistm At The Medicare Advantage Congress
The provider of CMS’ Beneficiary Contact Center (1-800-MEDICARE) program offers Health Plans the only turnkey solution completely focused on Medicare enrollment and member interaction services including: marketing, contact management, sales management, integrated operations, and analytics.
Arlington, VA, January 29, 2007 –Pearson Health Solutions (Pearson), a division of Pearson Government Solutions, today announced a unique member interaction management solution, informisTM (www.informissolution.com) at the Medicare Advantage Congress event in Phoenix, AZ. The only complete member management solution available, informis combines extensive knowledge of CMS’ national Medicare program, a unique member service model and performance-based pricing accountability.
The landscape of the Medicare market is undoubtedly changing. New programs, such as Prescription Drug Plans, have given Seniors more choices than ever before. Add to the landscape complexity the torrent of baby boomers poised to flood into the system—and the need for remarkable member management increases exponentially. informis is a robust member interaction management solution that delivers enrollment modeling and analysis to drive accurate staffing projections, experienced Customer Service Representatives, agent sales force support, and CMS compliance—resulting in unsurpassed member service.
Consisting of four core components, informis synergistically works to support a Health Plan’s brand and establish a sustainable competitive advantage: marketing, contact management, sales management and operations.
Marketing: With masterful—rather than mass marketing, informis creates meaningful dialogues with a Health Plans’ members and prospects.
Contact Management: With a unique approach to member service, the contact management component offers an unparalleled customer experience. informis delivers accurate, compliant and consistent information so members are able to make informed choices without confusion or aggravation.
Sales management: Expert qualifications allow informis to efficiently optimize and power agent performance. informis provides the agent sales force with a closed-loop lead management system featuring lead qualification, lead distribution—including account history with member interaction, and the ability to set real-time appointments for your insurance agents in the field.
Operations: With informis, turnkey integration and management of all member interaction components ensures operational efficiency, smoother service delivery and single-owner responsibility for the management of the project. informis’ operational processes are continually analyzed and streamlined. You can be confident that your members are receiving memorable service.
At the heart of the informis member interaction management solution is a framework of analytics, measurements, and reporting that continually extracts actionable intelligence to fuel system optimization.
“With informis, Health Plan members will receive a customer service experience that is unsurpassed in the industry—from enrollment to retention, resulting in a distinct competitive advantage”, stated Mike Bowers, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Pearson Health Solutions. “Providing members with exceptional customer service reinforces one of Pearson’s core values, ‘We do meaningful work’”.
About Pearson Health Solutions
Pearson Health Solutions, a division of Pearson Government Solutions, has more than 20 years’ experience managing award-winning customer interaction management contact centers for federal agencies, the commercial health care market, as well as state and local governments—both domestic and international. Pearson Health Solutions disseminates timely, consistent and accurate information to consumers on behalf of its customers including: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 1-800-MEDICARE, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 1-800-CDC-INFO, and large Pharmacy Benefit Managers supporting multiple Health Plans. An expert in business process outsourcing, Pearson Health Solutions specializes in contact center management, beneficiary and provider outreach, human capital management, as well as data and content management. www.pearsongovernmentsolutions.com/health_solutions.htm.
About Pearson Government Solutions
With over 5,500 employees worldwide, Pearson Government Solutions, Arlington, Va., serves the U.S. federal, state and local and international governments; higher education institutions and student financial aid entities. The company designs, builds, and operates solutions that optimize the performance of public sector entities in delivering information, benefits, and services to their constituents. Clients include the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, and Veterans Affairs; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
www.pearsongovernmentsolutions.com
Advisory Board Biographies – Luminaries in the Industry
Sherman Rogers—President & CEO Finelight
While co-producing a PBS series on the ’84 presidential election, Sherman Rogers caught the “marketing bug” and aimed his career in that direction. As chief marketing officer at FitchMeyer Direct Response, Sherman was responsible for the health care direct marketing agency’s tremendous growth, recognized in Inc. magazine’s 1991 list of American’s 500 fastest growing businesses.
Joining Finelight in 1992 was a perfect fit for Sherman, as he helped turn a small design/photographic studio into a full-service, nationally renowned marketing agency focused on the health care industry. Sherman’s knack for attracting seasoned marketing professionals with many years of strategic experience on the payer and provider side provides an edge in this expanding specialized market. From branding and direct response, to interactive and telesales, Finelight helps companies learn about their customers, design powerful creative solutions and deploy smart strategies to produce results.
Lindsay Resnick—Chief Marketing Officer, Finelight
In his 25 years of professional experience in the health care and insurance industry, Lindsay has held many leadership roles, including positions at HealthMarket, one of the country’s first consumer-driven health plans; Radix Health Connection, LLC, an investment banking firm specializing in health insurance companies and managed care plans; Celtic Life Insurance Company; and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
Lindsay brings this leadership experience to Finelight, directing our Chicago office and providing strategic advisory services to our clients. Our resident expert in health insurance trends and marketplace realities, he has authored numerous published articles on industry trends and business strategy.a small design/photographic studio into a full-service, nationally renowned marketing agency focused on the health care industry. Sherman’s knack for attracting seasoned marketing professionals with many years of strategic experience on the payer and provider side provides an edge in this expanding specialized market. From branding and direct response, to interactive and telesales, Finelight helps companies learn about their customers, design powerful creative solutions and deploy smart strategies to produce results.
Stan Nowak—President, CEO & Founder, Silverlink
As president and CEO, Stan is responsible for defining the strategic direction for Silverlink and achieving overall execution milestones. He is focused on driving major sales opportunities, as well as sourcing and building strategic relationships, including those with investors.
Stan is a company founder and brings over 15 years of general management experience in the IT services, telecom services, and private utility sectors working for companies including StorageNetworks, GTE, and InterGen (Bechtel). He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Harvard College.
Lori L. Fentem—Founder & President, Synergy Solutions
Lori Fentem is founder and president of Synergy Solutions, an outsourced provider of call center services with seven U.S.-based call centers and a call center network in the Philippines, which offers inbound and outbound services in English and Spanish. In this role, she is responsible for the overall strategic direction of Synergy Solutions, including business development, strategic initiatives, technology deployment, joint ventures, sales and marketing, in addition to the development of service offerings.
Lori has over 20 years of management experience in the various areas of the call center industry. Her mix of Fortune 500 clients span multiple industries, including health care and insurance; financial services; publishing; retail and telecommunications.
Ray Bednarsky—VP Business Development, Pearson Health Solutions
Ray Bednarsky’s accomplishments include taking Litton PRC from an unknown to an industry leader in the defense and civil federal health care markets.
Now applying his leadership and business development experience to Pearson Health Solutions, Ray is engaged in growing 5 lines of health businesses: Department of Defense (DoD), Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare.
& Medicaid Services (CMS), and Commercial Health. Over the past year, Pearson was selected by CMS to manage the Beneficiary Contact Center program, and by CIGNA Government Services, LLC, to assist in Medicare claims, processing services related to supplies and beneficiaries of durable medical equipment.
About Pearson Health Solutions
Pearson Health Solutions, a division of Pearson Government Solutions, has more than 20 years’ experience managing award-winning customer interaction management contact centers for federal agencies, the commercial health care market, as well as state and local governments—both domestic and international. Pearson Health Solutions disseminates timely, consistent and accurate information to consumers on behalf of its customers including: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 1-800-MEDICARE, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 1-800-CDC-INFO, and large Pharmacy Benefit Managers supporting multiple Health Plans. An expert in business process outsourcing, Pearson Health Solutions specializes in contact center management, beneficiary and provider outreach, human capital management, as well as data and content management. www.pearsongovermentsolutions.com/health_solutions.htm
Synergy Solutions expands into Fort Kent, Maine
Phoenix, AZ – March 28, 2007. Synergy Solutions, Inc., a premier provider of outsourced customer contact solutions, recently announced the opening of its newest customer contact center in Fort Kent, ME. This is Synergy Solutions’ seventh center opened since beginning operations in January 2000, and brings total employees to over 1200.
The Fort Kent center is a 119-seat state-of-the-art customer contact center that was formerly occupied by MBNA. At full capacity, up to 140 employees will be needed for the operation with approximately 70% working a full-time day shift. Synergy dispatched an implementation team to prepare the site for the launch of operations and the first employee training class commenced on March 28th, 2007. Active operations are expected to begin on April 2nd, 2007. Synergy plans to offer inbound and outbound call center services in Fort. Kent for its clients in the financial services and telecommunications industries.
Corey Conklin, Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Synergy Solutions, stated that “…the company is excited about this opportunity to expand our business in Fort Kent and are looking forward to a long relationship with our employees and the community. We’re pleased to be here. The response to our inquiry and the support we have received has been excellent.”
Synergy’s cross-functional implementation team has focused on configuration of the center as well as recruiting, training of local employees and securing local vendors to support the operation. Synergy’s centralized technology and telephony network allow it to deploy remote sites rapidly and with maximum efficiency. Synergy is opening this site to meet the increasing demand for its services from its current clients as well as new clients. The high percentage of fluent French speakers in the Fort Kent community also allows Synergy to augment its current services offered in English and Spanish.
Call Center Community on the Move to End Domestic Violence
Phoenix, AZ- On April 28 , downtown Phoenix was riddled with people ready to tackle the heat and participate in a 5k fitness walk or run charity event to demonstrate their support in the fight against domestic violence. The Call Centers Care Team, sponsored by Starwood Vacation Ownership, Synergy Solutions, RDI Marketing Services and TeleDirect, rallied 105 participants and collected over $8,500 in donations and registration fees for the 5th Annual Walk to End Domestic Violence. Synergy Solutions led the way with 82 participants, Starwood Vacation Ownership had 15, and the rest were affiliated with the American Teleservices Association, a non-profit trade association that represents the call center industry.
“I am blown away by the outpouring of effort and dedication from this team and the groups we represent, and I am very proud to be part of this amazing effort,” said Neil Freiberg, senior director of operations with Starwood Vacation Ownership and team captain of the Call Centers Care team.
Several participants mentioned that they had not previously considered participating in a charity run/walk event, but they had such a positive experience with this event that they plan to get more involved going forward.
“I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out and how everyone worked together to make this a success,” said Lori Fentem, president of Synergy Solutions.
Ms. Fentem is also a member of the American Teleservices board of directors. “As Synergy, my peer call center companies and the ATA continue to provide leadership in this industry, it is important that we take an active role in community involvement and giving back. This was an excellent example of businesses reaching out and helping their community to help a great cause.”
Overall, the 5th Annual Walk/Run to End Domestic Violence raised over $300,000 from the community.
The American Teleservices Association (ATA) is the ONLY association dedicated exclusively to the Teleservices channel.
The American Teleservices Association (www.ATAconnect.org) represents both inbound and outbound contact centers, users, trainers, consultants, and equipment suppliers that initiate, facilitate, and generate telephone, internet, and email sales, service, and support. Founded in 1983, ATA currently represents more than 4,000 contact centers employing over 1.8 million professionals in the United States and numerous foreign countries.
Through advanced, professional education events, legislative representation, timely industry updates and analyses, and vital business networking opportunities, ATA is committed to providing leadership in the professional and ethical use of the telephone for conducting business. ATA is committed to serving the needs of its members, recommending the highest standards of quality and protecting the rights of consumers.
Local Community Celebrates Synergy Solutions Grand Opening
Phoenix, AZ – July 20, 2007. Synergy Solutions, Inc., a premier provider of outsourced teleservices, celebrated the grand opening of its newest Call Center in Fort Kent, Maine. Synergy Solutions welcomed approximately 250 community members, including local officials and dignitaries, who joined in the celebration. Synergy hosted informative tours of its facility, providing the community the opportunity to learn more about the call center industry. Local artist Gert Thibodeau was on site and participated by displaying her paintings of the St. John Valley throughout Synergy’s Call Center.
In attendance were local dignitaries, including the State of Maine Economic Development Commissioner John Richardson, Senator John Martin and Representative Troy Jackson, as well as representatives from the offices of U.S. Senators Olympia Snow and Susan Collins and Congressman Mike Michaud. Also in attendance were representatives from local economic development groups and business organizations.
Commissioner Richardson spoke on behalf of Governor Baldacci and welcomed Synergy Solutions to Maine, speaking volumes with regard to Synergy Solution’s noteworthy work ethic. The Commissioner thanked all who had been the driving force in getting Synergy Solution’s call center opened, which was spearheaded by Aroostook Partnership for Progress and Northern Maine Development Commission.
In April of this year, Synergy Solutions commenced operations in Fort Kent with a 119-seat state-of-the- art customer contact center formerly occupied by MBNA. Approximately 60 people lost their jobs when the MBNA facility shut down and Synergy has already surpassed those employment numbers by 30% with aggressive growth still in the near-term forecast.
“Synergy is very happy to be in Fort Kent,” said Corey Conklin, company founder and COO, “We have made a positive economic impact in the community and have assisted a number of skilled workers who were under-employed.”
Arizona Call Centers Delight Children
Phoenix, AZ – December, 2007. The Arizona Chapter of the American Teleservices Association (“ATA”) CALL CENTERS CARE Team delivered an exciting number of toys to the Pediatric Unit of the Maricopa County Medical Center on December 7, 2007. Employees in the Arizona Call Center industry responded in an overwhelming way to a call to action from the Arizona Chapter of the ATA to support these pediatric patients during the holidays. While there are many worthy causes that support children, the CALL CENTERS CARE team was drawn to this project because the children at county hospitals are often overlooked. Needless to say, the hospital was thrilled that we remembered their patients during this holiday season.
As part of the ATA’s December chapter event in Arizona, attendees were asked to bring an unwrapped toy. Many generous attendees didn’t bring just one toy each, but also extended the call to action throughout their companies. Call center agents across the Phoenix Metro Area contributed which resulted in a huge load of toys being delivered to the hospital by representatives of the CALL CENTERS CARE Team.
“I want to thank you and American Teleservices Association for your thoughtfulness this holiday season. It is not often that the pediatric patients at our hospital benefit from such generosity; I hate to say it, but we are often “passed over” on the holiday gift-giving list”, stated Lori Brinton, Child Live Specialist from Pediatrics at the hospital. “ I cannot tell you how wholly grateful I am to you and your crew for thinking of our kiddos here at Maricopa Medical Center, nor can I fully express how needed and appreciated each and every item is to our pediatric patients and families.”
“This initiative allowed ATA members to give back to the community while, at the same time, give to an organization often passed by in favor of the more highly publicized events”, said Joe Nageotte, Starwood Vacation Ownership Manager and ATA Arizona Philanthropy Chair. “As with the organizations we contribute to, call center agents are rarely given credit for their contributions to the economy and their local communities.”
The CALL CENTERS CARE Team, formed in 2006, is recognized in the community by their distinctive green shirts with the message that “Call Centers Care”. In the first half of 2008 the CALL CENTERS CARE Team will raise money and participate once again in the 5K Walk/Run to Stop Domestic Violence as well as lead a drive to deliver bottled water to the homeless when the temperatures climb into the hundreds in Phoenix.
Learn more about ATA membership and upcoming Arizona events at www.ataconnect.org.
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