Ephraim McDowell Health selects WestLake Financial Group, Inc. to administer their medical plan and to provide state-of- the-art online enrollment technology, BenefitsTalk™.
Buffalo Grove, IL– July 27, 2005 – As a means of simplifying benefits administration and making it more affordable, WestLake Financial Group, Inc. (WestLake) of Illinois is offering employer groups an opportunity to use their proprietary online enrollment system, BenefitsTalk™, in conjunction with Third Party Administration services.
Ephraim McDowell Health, a healthcare system located in central Kentucky partnered with WestLake in the area of medical claims administration and online enrollment effective January 1, 2005. BenefitsTalk™ enables Ephraim employees to view and make changes to their benefit plans using a secure website. After years of paper-based benefit enrollment, the online enrollment system reduces the Ephraim HR department’s administration burden during open enrollment. Additionally, it significantly reduces the amount of time they will spend on benefit administration during the entire year, meanwhile containing their administration costs.
“We continuously look for cost-effective ways to help our clients efficiently manage their employee benefit plans.” says Tammy Miller, WestLake vice president of client services. “The Client can move their claims administration to WestLake and receive our state-of-the-art online technology without increasing their administration costs. Ultimately, with all of the benefit administration work transferred to WestLake, companies will actually save money.”
Carl Metz, human resources director at Ephraim McDowell Health said, “The online enrollment was very successful. This was the first time an electronic enrollment process was used by our associates and we anticipated errors and confusion. Instead, it was amazingly smooth. The options of electronic enrollment or personal assistance through a toll-free call to the WestLake Benefit Center allowed us to complete the process effectively and efficiently. Upon completion of the enrollment process, an individualized statement reflecting the value of the benefits provided a valuable means of communication that serves as a reference throughout the year. Ordinarily, this alone would have been a major project.”
Mr. Metz went on to say that, “With the expertise of the WestLake team involved in customizing the screen design for our benefit options, they also developed an in depth knowledge of our plan details. This was immensely beneficial as WestLake began the claims administration for our medical plan. Changing TPAs can be an adventure; however, the transition to WestLake was remarkable. Everyone has been timely, responsive and accurate.”
About Ephraim McDowell Health
Ephraim McDowell Health is an integrated healthcare delivery system that serves six counties in central Kentucky. At the core of the system is Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center, a 187-bed, not-for-profit hospital that was established more than 110 years ago. The Ephraim McDowell Health system also includes Fort Logan Hospital in neighboring Lincoln County (Stanford). With over 1,500 employees (1,300 of them are benefits eligible), Ephraim McDowell Health is one of the largest employers in the central Kentucky area.
About WestLake Financial Group, Inc.
Established in 1991, WestLake is a leading HR consulting and employee benefits solution provider. By utilizing technology and personalized expertise to provide clients web based internet solutions, claims administration, traditional broker services, consulting services, outsourced services and call center support, WestLake allows clients to focus on core human resource activities. In July 2004, several of WestLake’s core products and services, BenefitsTalk™ (online enrollment), FSA Administration, COBRA Administration and Billing Reconciliation, received the American Hospital Association’s exclusive Benefit Outsourcing Technology endorsement. For more information on WestLake and the services they offer, please visit www.westlakefg.com.
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