Silverlink In the News

New York, NY - June 30, 2004 - Group Health Incorporated (GHI) today announced improved customer satisfaction and reduced call center costs after delivering automated phone messages to members impacted by the company’s recent formulary change. GHI partnered with Silverlink Communications, the leading provider of voice applications for the healthcare industry, to improve a necessary but sometimes confusing component of managing pharmacy benefits.

Recently, GHI made changes to a prescription drug formulary that would impact certain members. Those members were sent a letter in advance, explaining the changes and how they would be affected. Recognizing that a letter may not be sufficient, GHI explored alternate ways of reaching out to members.

GHI turned to Silverlink Communications to design and deploy an automated telephone call program. The goal of this pilot program was to provide the member with a better understanding of the benefit change and to ensure that they were informed in a timely fashion. In addition to communicating this new information, GHI also saw this as an opportunity to reiterate to members the importance of adhering to their specific medication regimens. As a follow up to the standard letter, GHI delivered interactive messages via the telephone to approximately 7,000 members impacted by the formulary change. The Silverlink system verified that it was interacting with the GHI member by having them validate their birth date and year before proceeding with the call.

Several days after the formulary change calls were completed, GHI used Silverlink’s services to launch a satisfaction survey to a portion of the original call recipients. The results indicated that most recipients found the formulary change call experience to be "informative, easy to understand, and convenient".

"GHI is committed to making sure we are communicating with our members in the most convenient and effective way possible, said Dr. Aran Ron, GHI’s Senior Vice President and Medical Director. “We are very pleased with the results of our pilot with Silverlink and are looking for other ways this technology can help us keep our members satisfied and informed."

Bill Brodnitzki, Silverlink Vice President Enterprise Service Management commented, "GHI’s goal for this program was to educate members about the recent benefit change and improve member satisfaction. The right solution had to work within significant constraints, particularly compliance with HIPAA regulations. Silverlink’s services were specifically designed to affordably and effectively communicate with thousands of members without making an investment in upfront costs or IT resources. We’re thrilled that GHI achieved such success in this program."

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