Press Releases

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PORTLAND, Ore. – November 28, 2006 – Kryptiq Corporation, the leader in health plan-exclusive Contract and Network Management Solutions, announced today that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) has purchased Publisher, a workflow module that is part of the Kryptiq Guardian Suite. Publisher automates workflows and enables critical information, such as contract and rates changes, to be instantly communicated to associated departments, including claims and member services. Blue Cross plans to use Publisher to expand the Guardian Contract Manager platform to other departments within its organization.

 

Blue Cross is the largest health plan in the state serving more than 2.7 million members and managing 43,000 provider agreements with more than 120 provider networks. Blue Cross shifted from paper to electronic contracting in 1998. Today, the Blue Cross contract management process is managed by Kryptiq Guardian.

“The complexity of provider contracting requires that we must have the tools to create user-friendly contracts quickly and easily; issue them promptly; identify exactly what each individual provider has in real time; and have secure, electronic options available for online contract distribution and negotiation. By purchasing and deploying Guardian Contract Manager, Courier, and Negotiator, we have accomplished all this and more,” said Mary Stevens, director of Contract Management and Operations, Network Management Division at Blue Cross. “What truly has transformed our business is our ability to now respond rapidly to executive level questions about proposed provider network changes. With Kryptiq’s Guardian Suite, we now are able to quickly and accurately provide the data to support key corporate decision making regarding our provider networks. Our next step is to use Guardian Publisher to include other departments and expand utilization of the knowledge embedded in Guardian across our entire operation, enabling better optimization of our network.”

 

The Guardian Product Suite is a complete system built specifically to address the needs of health plans. Automation of a health plan’s network starts with Guardian Contract Manager, which streamlines all stages of the provider contracting process. Additional modules in the Guardian Product Suite include:

“Health plans across the nation are grappling with new demands for transparency of information to serve the growing shift towards consumer-driven healthcare. Meeting these demands requires new levels of data mobility that provide ubiquitous access to information to support corporate and consumer decision making. Kryptiq designed Guardian Publisher with this in mind,” said Luis Machuca, president and CEO of Kryptiq. “Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has shown remarkable vision as it uses this new category of technology to help it dramatically increase the speed the organization can respond to new opportunities in the markets it serves. Its innovation is a clear competitive differentiator, and we value its commitment to and insight on our product direction.”

 

About Kryptiq Corporation
Kryptiq is the leading provider of interoperability and workflow connectivity solutions for healthcare. Kryptiq streamlines healthcare communications among patients, providers, pharmacies and payers with secure messaging, electronic prescribing, disease management and contract management technologies. By integrating these solutions with existing systems and applications, Kryptiq enables the trusted transport of health information where and when it is needed. Kryptiq’s fast-growing customer base includes many of North America’s top 100 integrated health networks, spans 48 states plus Washington, D.C. and includes well-known providers and payers such as Providence Health System, Capital Region Healthcare, MeritCare Health System, Eastern Maine Healthcare, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Northwest Permanente. For more information on the company, visit www.kryptiq.com.

 

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota’s first health plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the people of Minnesota. A nonprofit taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest health plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.7 million members in Minnesota and nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago. Go to www.bluecrossmn.com to learn more about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.