The TriZetto Group, Inc. announced that Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP) and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) were the winners of the first annual Integrated Healthcare Management (IHM) Power Awards in the categories of Operational Excellence and Innovation, respectively. The awards honor innovative customers that are demonstrating tangible success in the pursuit of IHM, the systematic application [...]

CNA Financial Corporation announced today that Steve Stonehouse has been appointed to the position of Western Zone Officer. In this role, Stonehouse – who recently served as president of CNA’s West Coast Operations – is responsible for aligning the branch structure of the global insurer’s Western Zone with its strategy to drive profitable growth.
One [...]

At a time when people are closely watching their dollars, Premera Blue Cross has introduced an online tool enabling patients to make clearer financial decisions about their healthcare, and allowing doctors and other professional providers to be paid more quickly for their services.
Premera’s new real-time cost-estimator and claims-adjudication tool will let providers produce nearly-instantaneous out-of-pocket [...]

Clear Choice Health Plans, announced it has acquired privately-owned Trusteed Plans Service Corporation (TPSC), a Tacoma, Wash.-based third party administrator (TPA) of employee benefits plans that operates in six Western states—Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho and Montana. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
TPSC will retain its name and management team and operate as a [...]

National Investment Managers Inc., a nationally-based and regionally-operated company, today announced that Woodside Capital Partners has purchased the Note and Warrants that Lehman Brothers held in National Investment Managers.
In December 2007, Lehman participated in a $27 million debt package, whereby Lehman and Woodside Capital Partners each offered National Investment Managers $6 million in subordinated debt, [...]

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama appears to be making inroads among professionals in the heavily Republican insurance industry, according to a poll conducted by BestWeek U.S./Canada.
In the final pre-election online survey of nearly 1,000 industry professionals, the Illinois senator gained 8.7 percentage points in favorability from his standing in mid-September.
The survey showed Republican John McCain still [...]