Epic and Humana Deliver on Commitment to Enhance Connectivity and Collaboration Among Patients, Providers, and Health Plans

Partnership moves into next phase, including first health system to automate prior authorizations

LOUISVILLE, Ky. & VERONA, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), a leading health and well-being company, and Epic, developer of the nation’s most widely used comprehensive health record, have completed the first stage of a joint effort to improve patient, provider, and health plan collaboration and reduce administrative burden in healthcare by securely exchanging information between providers and the health plan. In their first 18 months of working together, clinical data for more than a half million of Humana’s health members has been shared, and over 50,000 providers have utilized Humana’s Real-Time Benefits Check (RTBC) tool, IntelligentRx, which delivers real-time prescription benefit information in Epic’s platform.

During the next phase, Humana and Epic will add support for automated prior authorizations and member insights at the point of care. Electronic prior authorizations reduce the time it takes providers to find out whether a procedure is covered by insurance—speeding up access to care for patients. Member insights allow information from Humana (for example, preventative services that are past due, history of medication adherence, and care coordination for known chronic conditions) to drive real-time decision support in providers’ systems.

Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s largest non-profit academic healthcare system, will be one of the first to implement prior authorizations and member insights, supported by Humana. These features will allow the clinician to remain in current workflows—not switch systems or screens—when ordering procedures. Humana and Epic jointly designed these features to reduce the burden on providers and improve the timeliness of prior authorization decisions.

“Having a comprehensive view of our patients’ medical history and health insights allows our clinicians to dedicate more time to addressing health concerns and setting a course for treatment,” said Philip Oravetz, MD, chief population health officer at Ochsner Health.

“Humana is taking a proactive approach to improving the experiences of patients and physicians with partners like Epic,” said Alan Wheatley, president of Humana’s retail segment. “By increasing the efficiency of health plan interactions and delivering valuable health insights at the point of care, we increase physicians’ ability to provide efficient, quality care.”

“The past year has shown us how important it is to share data so that we can understand the health of patients and members, communicate with their providers to address chronic conditions, understand gaps in care, and reduce barriers to getting that care,” said Alan Hutchison, vice president of population health at Epic. “Throughout our partnership, we’ve witnessed Humana’s dedication to innovation and the health of their members. The success of this first phase shows there is tremendous opportunity for the future.”

The other capabilities Epic and Humana will deliver in 2021 include decision support for specialist referrals. This will reduce out-of-network costs by helping physicians choose in-network providers when referring a patient to a specialist.

About Epic

Visit www.epic.com/about.

About Humana Inc.

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.

To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com opens new window, including copies of:

• Annual reports to stockholders
• Securities and Exchange Commission filings
• Most recent investor conference presentations
• Quarterly earnings news releases and conference calls
• Calendar of events
• Corporate Governance information