Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana Selects Benefitfocus Technology

CHARLESTON, S.C. & HELENA, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Benefitfocus®, a leader in healthcare technology, has signed an extended six-year contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT) to support its Group business contracts with Benefitfocus eEnrollment™ capabilities. Set to go live in early 2009, the online benefit enrollment application will provide BCBSMT groups and their 200,000 members with a robust, comprehensive online solution that will be easily integrated with BCBSMT’s existing Benefitfocus eBilling™ platform.

“Our groups have asked us to provide tools to help them do their jobs more efficiently. eEnrollment is definitely a tool that fulfills that request. It will allow our groups to make enrollment changes online and then release the bill to be paid electronically,” said Sheila Shapiro, BCBSMT’s Chief Operating Officer. “This process will be much faster than the current process, and our customers can make changes as they occur rather than waiting until the next billing cycle, if they choose,” she said.

Through Benefitfocus eEnrollment, any form of eligibility is completely automated, including incorporating choices that meet consumer demands through things such as Consumer Directed Healthcare. This ensures that appropriate changes for new hires, terminations and life events occur seamlessly. Customized business rules can be set while automating the determination of a variety of processes from billing codes to premium contributions. Benefitfocus eEnrollment will also extend BCBSMT’s automation process by electronically capturing data for their ancillary carriers who offer Life, Disability, COBRA Payroll and Dental products.

There are many benefits of using Benefitfocus eEnrollment capabilities, including agent and member satisfaction. As BCBSMT wants to focus on their continued service to group customers by providing user-friendly tools, and with service being such a critical component to remaining competitive in the healthcare marketplace, a smooth enrollment process is the first step to ensuring agents and new members are satisfied with their enrollment experience.

“BCBSMT is very excited to be one of the first health plans in Montana to provide these on-line services,” said Shapiro.

Benefitfocus is the only Company that can provide a complete solution. The integration between eEnrollment and eBilling gives carriers, such as BCBSMT, the ability to ease coordination between enrollment records and billing membership rosters while enhancing their customer service and competitive advantage.

“Expanding our partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana is a huge endorsement for our end-to-end platform,” said Shawn Jenkins, president and CEO of Benefitfocus. “We feel the Benefitfocus strategy of a complete front-end solution provides tremendous value to the carrier and customer.”

About Benefitfocus

Benefitfocus is the leader in software and services for the healthcare benefits market serving over 115,000 employer groups and more than 25 carriers nationally which touch in excess of 40 million member lives globally. Through developing leading technology solutions, Benefitfocus allows consumers, employers and benefit providers to manage complex decisions in an ever-changing healthcare environment. Benefitfocus can be reached at 843-849-7476 or via the Internet at www.benefitfocus.com.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana

Blue Cross Blue and Shield of Montana, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is Montana’s leading not-for-profit health services corporation. Headquartered in Helena, MT, it has conducted business for more than 65 years exclusively in Montana. It serves more than 240,000 members across the state and another 70,000 nationwide through BlueCard. More information is available at www.bcbsmt.com.