eNews from Cypress Benefit Administrators 1-13-10

We enjoy bringing you information and reminders to help you stay abreast of new Cypress developments and industry compliance requirements. Please let us know how Cypress Solution eNews can be of further service to you.

In This Issue:

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
Tom Doney, President, Cypress Benefit Administrators
COBRA Subsidy Extension Signed into Law
Clients See Value with Cypress Spaggregate Plan
ARGUS Advantage Series:
Anesthesiology: MDs vs. CRNAs - Proper Billing Guidelines

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
Tom Doney, President, Cypress Benefit Administrators

With the January 2010 renewals and implementations behind us, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our business associates for a tremendous 2009 and a great start to 2010 for Cypress Benefit Administrators.

With the renewal of over 95% of our existing business and addition of multiple new clients across the country throughout the past year, Cypress has experienced a 27% growth rate between February 2009 and January 2010! It goes without saying that we couldn't have reached such a lofty milestone without the loyalty of our clients, hard work of many brokers and consultants, and fabulous work by our many vendor partners.

That Cypress has shown significant growth at a time when the majority of TPAs across the country are concerned with simply holding on to the business they have confirms that we continue to be on the right path toward health care cost control. Read more about our unique services and programs...

COBRA Subsidy Extension Signed into Law

President Obama signed into law on Dec. 21 an extension and expansion of a COBRA premium subsidy law that was to expire on Dec. 31. The extension means new compliance obligations for employers - and new notice requirements - that must be met within a tight timeframe. Learn more... <back to top>

Clients See Value with Cypress Spaggregate Plan

The Cypress Spaggregate Plan was developed to allow an easy, worry-free transition to self funding. The plan combines the fundamentals of a fully insured health plan with those of a self-funded health plan. Among many other benefits, the plan offers access to plan data and a strong handle on controlling costs. Cypress has received excellent feedback from clients about the effectiveness of this program. Learn more about the benefits of the Cypress Spaggregate program. <back to top>

ARGUS Advantage Series:

ARGUS Claim Review - a division of Cypress Benefit Administrators - guards against costly healthcare billing errors, issues with medical claims processing and other claim system deficiencies. Learn more about how this industry-leading system works via this series of occasional articles.

Anesthesiology: MDs vs. CRNAs - Proper Billing Guidelines

When anesthesia is given in a surgical setting, it may be performed by an MD anesthesiologist, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist (CRNA) or both. Depending on who is performing the procedure, fees may be reimbursed at 50% or 100% of the PPO allowed amount. Learn more about the proper anesthesia billing guidelines. <back to top>

If you have any questions or are looking for solutions, please feel free to contact us. We are happy to help!

Sincerely,

Cypress Benefit Administrators