News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Alven Weil
Premier Inc.
704.733.5797
Akron, Ohio healthcare system saves $1.1+ million using Premier Insurance Management Services Inc.
Benefits to Summa Health System from purchasing long-term, short-term disability, life/accidental death and dismemberment products will extend over three years
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 22, 2009) – Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, will save more than $1.1 million during the next three years on premiums for several of its employee insurance benefits by purchasing them through the sponsored insurance program provided by Premier Insurance Management Services Inc. (PIMS), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Premier healthcare alliance.
The six-hospital integrated healthcare delivery system, which serves a five-county region in northeast Ohio, is purchasing group life/accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability and short-term disability products through PIMS' sponsored program partner, The Hartford.
Summa's System Director of Employee Benefits Elaine Fink said, "We are pleased with the rates and the three-year guarantee. We are also very pleased to be working with The Hartford. I worked with The Hartford before joining Summa Health System and had a good experience. From my standpoint, it's wonderful to be working with them again."
The savings are timely, as Summa Health System was integrating employees from two recently acquired hospitals onto its core employee benefits. Fink became aware of Premier's insurance products through WorkPlace Solutions, which serves as the program administrator for the PIMS programs.
"There is a great deal of work to be done – switching carriers, adding hospitals, changing benefits for employees," Fink said. "Charlie Peluso with WorkPlace Solutions was so helpful. He took our every little request to The Hartford and Premier. We would definitely recommend Premier. Our needs were definitely well met."
PIMS employee benefits offer participating Premier members additional options for employee insurance including group coverage benefits such as life and disability, in addition to voluntary coverage options such as dental, vision, cancer, whole and universal life, critical illness, and supplemental disability income protection. PIMS also can provide benefit communications and enrollment services through program administrator WorkPlace Solutions.
About Summa Health System
Summa Health System is one of the largest integrated delivery systems in Ohio.
Encompassing a network of hospitals, community health centers, a health plan, a
physician-hospital organization, a multi-specialty physician organization,
research and multiple foundations, Summa is nationally renowned for excellence
in patient care and for exceptional approaches to healthcare delivery. Summa's
clinical services are consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report,
Thomson Reuters and The Leapfrog Group. Summa also is a founding partner of the
BioInnovation Institute in Akron.
About WorkPlace Solutions Inc.
WorkPlace Solutions Inc. (WPS) is a national benefit design company and an
industry leader in providing innovative benefit communication and enrollment
services to its clients. WPS has more than 20 years of experience in benefit
enrollment and administration. It has designed benefit programs and enrolled for
employers throughout the country. As a business partner for Premier Insurance
Management Services Inc., WPS is responsible for marketing, designing and
enrolling voluntary insurance programs as well as employer-paid programs to
Premier healthcare alliance member organizations. For more information, visit
http://www.wpsbenefits.com/products.php.
About Premier Insurance Management Services Inc. (PIMS)
Incorporated in 1987, PIMS is an Illinois for-profit corporation wholly owned by
Premier Inc. PIMS provides contracted management services for American Excess
Insurance Exchange, Risk Retention Group (AEIX), and is attorney-in-fact for
Premier Insurance Exchange, Risk Retention Group (PRx). PIMS also serves as
program manager offering enhanced sponsored programs with leading commercial
insurers through a comprehensive portfolio of property, casualty and employee
benefit products. Other services include providing claims and risk management
assessments and education offerings regarding medical professional liability for
hospitals and their physicians. For more information, visit
https://premierinc.com/risk/tools-services/pims/index.jsp.
About the Premier healthcare alliance, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Premier is a performance improvement alliance of more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals
and 80,000-plus other healthcare sites using the power of collaboration to lead
the transformation to high quality, cost-effective care. Owned by hospitals,
health systems and other providers, Premier maintains the nation's most
comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and
operates a leading healthcare purchasing network. A world leader in helping
deliver measurable improvements in care, Premier has worked with the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National
Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in
Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has an office in
Washington.
https://premierinc.com. Stay connected with Premier on
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