Scottsdale, AZ – April 12, 2010 Univita Health, an organization focused on providing the full range of services and support needed to enable a home-centered approach to independent aging, announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with SNAPforSeniors to develop a national preferred provider network that will be used by Univita’s health plan and long term care insurance customers.
Based on a comprehensive review of quality indicators and processes, the preferred provider network will help Univita’s customers and their members make better decisions around care and living options. The network will be launched during the second half of 2010 and include key providers such as senior housing, home health services and adult day care providers. The strategic alliance between the companies builds upon their existing relationship – Univita currently integrates SNAPforSeniors data on community resources into its national network of independence-related providers.
“We’re excited to offer consumers and their families of our long term care and health plan clients the choice of enhanced provider referrals in their communities,” said Hugh Lytle, president and chief executive officer of Univita. “Providing the best local information and guidance saves them time and helps improve outcomes.”
Univita currently serves many of the country’s leading long term care insurers and health plans, with 2 million lives under management and nearly $1 billion in claims paid annually. Consumers affiliated with Univita will benefit by having knowledge of which providers in the network have been screened for quality along with preferred pricing to assure value. Preferred providers demonstrating better value will benefit from increased referrals of qualified clients reducing their cost of client acquisition.
“As provider network managers, we are keenly aware of the requirements to collect, standardize and maintain the integrity of diverse profiled data on local providers across the country. Traditionally, preferred provider arrangements have been focused solely on discounts. Univita has taken a sophisticated evaluation methodology to assess a defined set of quality indicators for providers of in-home care services and long term care communities,” said Eve Stern, co-chief executive officer of SNAPforSeniors. “We are honored to be working closely with Univita as an industry leader to be the first to develop a national preferred network of providers committed to practice standards and continuous quality improvement.”
Univita Health is creating a unified environment to help people live and age with independence. By providing one place to find and manage resources which support independent aging, Univita makes it easier for individuals to live and age with dignity, in the setting they choose. Univita is accomplishing this by transforming home based care – integrating the complete range of in-home care needs from basic caregiving through complex home health care – and adding the support of the latest technologies. And Univita offers a unique suite of personalized assessments and decision support built around the key dimensions of independence. To learn more, visit www.univitahealth.com.
SNAPforSeniors is an information and technology company that specializes in the collection and publishing of high-quality, current and comprehensive data on senior serving professionals and organizations throughout the U.S. Founded in early 2005, the company currently manages the largest network of senior care providers in 20 separate categories including senior housing, home care, adult day care, hospice, and other senior serving professionals maintaining the same quality and data standards. The company licenses its local community resource information through a range of web services to trusted third parties committed to providing their clients with objective and quality information. To learn more, visit www.snapforseniors.com.
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Press contact:
Sarah McLeod
480.922.8959
smcleod@univitahealth.com