HealthSparq Enters into Marketing Agreement with America’s Health Insurance Plans to Promote Health Care Transparency Tools, Reducing Costs Without Sacrificing Quality

June 10, 2014 – Portland, OR – HealthSparq, a leading developer of health plan and employer transparency solutions, has entered into an agreement with America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) to market HealthSparq software to AHIP’s health plan members.

“Access to quality and cost information encourages empowered health care consumers,” said AHIP’s Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Beth Leonard. “Health plans that work with HealthSparq under our agreement receive an integrated technology solution, encouraging decisions that promote cost savings without sacrificing quality. We are pleased to offer these valuable resources to our members.”

HealthSparq’s transparency solutions are available through a software as a service (SAAS) cloud-based format, and health plans can make them available to their members via portals on their websites. The solutions provide the shopping platform and strategies consumers need to become more engaged in the health care decision-making process.

In a review of one health plan’s use of HealthSparq’s transparency tools, members were more likely to choose less-expensive treatment options when they used the cost estimator. Ninety percent of members who used it to determine the cost of gallbladder removal chose the lower-cost facility, i.e., outpatient or surgical center, compared to only 59 percent of those members who did not use the tool. The average savings per case was between $8,000 and $13,000.

“HealthSparq is pleased to work with AHIP on marketing our transparency tools to a diverse, national membership of health plans as our business with this customer base grows,” said Scott Decker, president of HealthSparq. “We partner with health plans that cover thousands of employers and more than 60 million consumers, and we’re developing out-of-the-box solutions to support the needs of payers of all sizes.”

About HealthSparq
HealthSparq develops health care transparency solutions for health plans and self-insured employers. The HealthSparq platform leverages data from a variety of sources, including health insurance claims, linked together with community reviews and discussions to empower consumers to make informed decisions via online shopping for health care. HealthSparq is part of the Cambia Health Solutions family of companies and is located in Portland, Oregon. To learn more about HealthSparq, visit www.HealthSparq.com and follow @HealthSparq on Twitter. To request a HealthSparq demo, please send an email to [email protected] or call 855-SPARQ-ITCall: 855-SPARQ-IT (855-772-7748Call: 855-772-7748).

About AHIP
America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) is the national trade association representing the health insurance industry. AHIP’s members provide health and supplemental benefits to more than 200 million Americans through employer-sponsored coverage, the individual insurance market, and public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. AHIP advocates for public policies that expand access to affordable health care coverage to all Americans through a competitive marketplace that fosters choice, quality and innovation.

SOURCE: Cambia Health Solutions, Inc.