NEWS BRIEFS
NEWS BRIEFS
Credibility key in choosing materials
Credibility of the source is the most important factor when organizations select and distribute wellness materials to their employees, according to a survey conducted by Rochester, MN-based Mayo Clinic HealthQuest. "Reliability of the content is clearly more important than cost," says Dick Haynes, senior vice president of research at Frank N. Magid Associates Inc., the firm that conducted the research. "Employers believe health information resources such as newsletters that provide practical self-care and prevention information are good investments. They are valuable for employees and good for the organization."
The second most important consideration is the topic selection found in the materials, followed by price. Of these top three factors, credibility of the source was rated very important by 82% of the respondents, topic selection was rated very important by 75%, and price by 65%.
For more information, contact: Mayo Clinic HealthQuest, 200 First St. S.W., Rochester, MN 55905. Telephone: (800) 430-9699. E-mail: www.mayohealth.org.
Rodale offers online HRA
Emmaus, PA-based Rodale’s Online Health has obtained the licensing for Wellness Checkpoint, a health risk assessment (HRA) tool developed by InfoTech of Winnipeg, Canada. On-line and interactive, Wellness Checkpoint automatically generates a report with the user’s results — but Rodale’s takes that service one step further.
"Our goal has always been giving people self-reliance in prevention and self-care," notes Chris Hill, Rodale’s Online Health editorial director. "Now, with Wellness Checkpoint highlighting the situations people need to correct and our hot links to specific areas within Rodale’s Online Health, we give them the answers at the moment they need them. If the HRA says the user is at risk for heart attack, we provide the link to low-fat recipes and proper exercise that lower that risk."
For more information about the addition of Wellness Checkpoint and the opportunity to become a beta site, contact Scott Overholt. Telephone: (610) 967-8497. E-mail: soverholt@ rodalepress.com.
Health plan software available
HealthWeb Systems, a Newport Beach, CA-based TriZetto Group company, has begun shipping its Managed Care Integration System (MCIS) 2.0. The software makes health plan and patient data available to providers, insurers, employer groups, and members.
Using industry-standard Windows NT servers, MCIS 2.0 links users with the data stored in a health plan’s existing management system. Any user with a PC, Macintosh, Sun Polaris, or HP-UX system can use a Web browser to access the server.
"All of the data that’s locked up inside a health plan’s minicomputers and mainframes can now easily, and in just a few days, be published in a secure manner to all the users who can benefit from it," says Jeff Cohen, senior vice president of HealthWeb. "Once set up, it virtually runs itself."
For additional information, contact: Elaine Kazerman, The TriZetto Group, 567 San Nicolas Drive, Suite 360, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Telephone: (949) 718-4940. E-mail: [email protected]. Web site: www.trizetto.com.
Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.