Company: Humana
Company Description: Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is one of the nation's largest publicly traded health benefits companies, with approximately 9.3 million medical members. Humana offers a diversified portfolio of health insurance products and related services - through traditional and consumer-choice plans - to employer groups, government-sponsored plans, and individuals.
Nomination Category: Company, Office & Product Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best New Product or Service

Nomination Title: SmartSummary Rx

   1. Tell the story about this nominated product or service (up to 500 words). Describe its function, features, benefits, and sales to date. You may include hyperlinks to product photos and data sheets. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

According to the National Institute on Aging, 75% of Americans over the age of 65 take at least one prescription drug.  One of the most significant changes in Medicare deals with prescription drug coverage. These changes provide choices, and these choices can lead to confusion - but not if individuals understand the different options available. To help Medicare members better track, manage and save money on their prescription claims and benefits coverage, Humana launched SmartSummary RxSM, the nation's first in-depth, monthly prescription benefits summary that is tailored specifically to individual Medicare members.

Humana IT completed development of new technical solutions to support SmartSummary. We helped solve the technology challenges involved in collecting massive quantities of data, printing and mailing millions of personalized statements each quarter. Among these accomplishments are using the mainframe as a Web server so that statements could be viewed as well as printed, and investing in a document composition engine that we will also use to fulfill other print projects.

SmartSummary Rx gives helps members track how much they've spent to date on prescription drugs. This is a valuable benefit because of Medicare's built-in coverage gap, also commonly known as the "doughnut hole." After a member's drug costs reach $2,250, a Medicare consumer in most cases will have to cover $2,850 in out-of-pocket costs before coverage resumes. The tracking feature, found only in SmartSummary Rx, allows beneficiaries to anticipate and better plan for future medication expenses.

The patent-pending SmartSummary Rx consolidates health care cost details and plan information, while providing personalized messaging. It also includes a portable prescription record, which provides all the details needed to accurately track prescriptions, including dosage, previous refill dates, prescribing doctor and pharmacy information. SmartSummary Rx provides tools for consumers to communicate effectively with their doctors and pharmacists about medications to help avoid potential harmful drug interactions. Because it is tailored to each individual, SmartSummary Rx even offers information about potential lower-cost medications that are covered by their plan, so the member and their clinician can together make educated choices about their care options.

   2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, product reviews, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

Click here to view a sample of SmartSummary Rx
http://apps.humana.com/egroups/misc/pdf/Humana_PDP_Enhanced_Sample_X.pdf

   3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that developed this nominated product or service:

As Humana’s President and CEO, Mike McCallister has led the Fortune 200 company to a leadership position within the health-benefits industry. During Mike’s tenure, Humana, based in Louisville, Ky., has gained a reputation as the nation’s premier health-benefits innovator, leveraging new products, processes and technology to solve the employer’s cost dilemma through a consumer-centric value proposition. Under Mike’s direction, Humana is defining a new world of health benefits featuring consumer-choice health plans that empower employees to choose and use their health benefits with confidence.

Mike has an extensive history with Humana, having joined the company in 1974.

Prior to being named President and CEO in February 2000, Mike served as a division president, with responsibility for company operations in the South and Southwest. Earlier in his career he served as CEO for Humana hospitals in Arizona and California (Humana spun off its hospitals in 1993).

Mike holds an MBA degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., and a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La.