title: Beyond connectivity: what the success of one health plan's e-solution means for the future of the healthcare industry.
abstract: This article highlights the statewide success and rapid acceptance by providers in North Carolina of PARTNERS National Health Plan's implementation of a multipayer Internet connectivity solution for providers, employers, and members. PARTNERS is a premier health plan in North Carolina that covers more than 400,000 lives. The company introduced on-line communication to their network of ten thousand providers and has seen the number of on-line users and interactions grow by approximately 25 percent a week to represent more than two thousand providers in the first six months of roll-out. Providers can now look up eligibility and benefits and review and submit claims and referrals on-line; soon they will be able to order and review lab results and perform prescription management. PARTNERS found their Internet solution in HealthTrio's Intelligent Connectivity, which allowed them to create Internet communications without replacing back-end office solutions.
authors.affiliation: PARTNERS National Health Plans of North Carolina, Inc., Winston-Salem, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Korpman
mesh_terms: D003258:Consumer Behavior; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D020407:Internet / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008331:Management Information Systems; D009657:North Carolina; D014481:United States