News From Southern Health

www.southernhealth.com

February 2009

Section III Mandatory Reporting Requirements

Effective January 1, 2009, Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 added mandatory reporting requirements with respect to persons who may be Medicare beneficiaries and who also have coverage under group health benefits. All group health plan sponsors, insurance carriers such as Coventry Health Care, and third party administrators must report eligibility data, including social security numbers, to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

In order to meet the requirements of this legislation, Coventry Health Care will require that the social security numbers of all enrolled members, both subscribers and dependents, be included with enrollment information. An exception will be made for newborns who have not been assigned social security numbers at the time of their enrollment. Subscribers will be expected to provide the number as soon as it becomes available.

For new groups, enrollment applications will not be accepted as complete without social security numbers for all enrollees.

We understand that the heightened incidence of identity theft in recent years has led to concern over releasing social security numbers when not strictly necessary. Coventry Health Care has appropriate security measures in place, as required by HIPAA, to protect the confidential information of our members. Additionally, CMS has placed a bulletin on their website addressing privacy concerns and their compliance with HIPAA. You may view the relevant bulletin by visiting https://www.cms.hhs.gov/MandatoryInsRep/Downloads/ CollectionofSSNsHICNsandEINsTINsALERT.pdf.

You can also view the mandatory requirements at cms.hhs.gov/MandatoryInsRep/.

Southern Health Welcomes
New Service Manager

Southern Health welcomes our new service manager, Bryan Hyler. Bryan will be responsible for the account management staff in the Richmond office.

Bryan has more than 18 years of experience in all forms of group health care. A graduate of James Madison University and Virginia Tech, where he received his MBA, Bryan has sales and service experience with small group, large group, self-funded plans, consumer-directed health care, and broker relations.

Bryan comes to Southern Health from BB&T Insurance and has held positions of increasing responsibility with Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Carilion Health Plans, and John Deere Health Care.

Bryan will be meeting with Southern Health agencies and brokers very soon and can be reached at 804-727-2710 or bxhyler@cvty.com.

Introducing Coventry Dental

Southern Health is excited to offer dental benefits in 2009 through Coventry Dental. Coventry Health Care purchased a majority stake in Group Dental Service, a long-standing established dental company. Our intention is to bring a suite of competitive dental plans to each of Coventry's regional markets.

We are waiting on Bureau of Insurance approval to begin marketing our dental product. Our plan is to make the product available in the second quarter 2009.

Launching a proprietary dental product enables Coventry to deliver a more comprehensive benefits package. This allows you to broaden your reach in the marketplace. Following quickly on the heels of the dental product debut, Coventry Health Care will introduce Coventry Life Insurance products as well.

Obtaining quotes for dental business will be simple, with region-specific rate cards for groups under 50 lives. Larger groups will be able to request custom quotes through your assigned Coventry account executive or account manager. You will follow the existing processes already in place for the medical business.

Our commitment to our brokers is to provide you the service you need, allowing you to stay focused on building your business:

Simple and timely quoting
Administrative ease
Smooth conversion from the group's existing carrier
Rigorous standards of service

Best of all, your current Coventry account executive and account managers will be your dental points of contact. Look for your updated contract with dental commissions once we receive Bureau of Insurance approval.

GlobalFit Discount Program Available

With the redesign of the secure member portal, Coventry Health Care included a link to GlobalFit, a provider of healthy living benefits to large corporations, groups, and insurers.

GlobalFit benefits include convenient access to:

An extensive fitness center network
A menu of professionally-guided behavior management programs
At-home fitness options
Nutrition programs

GlobalFit offers tiered membership options. Once enrolled in GlobalFit, participants work directly with GlobalFit to purchase discounted products and services. All billing is done electronically through GlobalFit.

Coventry subscribers and members can access GlobalFit through My Online Services, our secure member portal, under Wellness Tools>Discount Programs. Individuals can also access GlobalFit through globalfit.com/Coventry.

Transmitting PHI Securely

Please keep in mind that brokers should never email protected health information (PHI) to Coventry without using an encryption tool. Our mutual goal is to keep Coventry members' health information private and protected. It is violation of the Business Associate Agreement to send an email containing PHI insecurely.

Coventry uses an encryption tool called cvtysecure. If Coventry sends brokers information through cvtysecure, the brokers are able to log in to that website and send Coventry back a secure response.

Registering by Invitation
The first time you receive a secure email, you are asked to register at the Secure Message Center. Registration is a one-time, quick and easy process.

Replying to Messages
You can reply to messages that you receive in your Secure Message Center Inbox. Some messages are for your information only, and you cannot reply to them. You have the option of replying to just the person who sent the message to you using the Reply button or replying to the sender as well as any other recipients using the Reply to All button.

Send a Fax
If you do not have access to an encryption tool to send secure email, you can fax the data. Faxing is an acceptable and secure method to send PHI.

Click here for more detailed instructions on sending information securely to Coventry.

2009 Commission Payment Schedule

The 2009 Commission Payment Schedule has been posted to our website. Deposits are scheduled for broker bank accounts and statements are posted to the website on the 20th of each month. Should the 20th fall on a weekend, the deposit is posted the Friday before.

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