Connextions Inc. (www.connextions.com) announced today that it has engaged Orlando-based Valencia Enterprises to help develop an intensive training program for its in-house licensed insurance agents in response to new, more stringent guidelines recently published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) - the federal agency that oversees how health insurance plans market and sell Medicare Advantage (MA) coverage to seniors.
The new 2009 CMS regulations, which also apply to MA Prescription Drug, Cost-Based Plan, and Prescription Drug Plan sponsors, affect all "downstream entities," such as Connextions, that
provide customer-facing services to seniors on behalf of health insurance plans. Connextions is currently engaged by a number of well-known plans, helping them to acquire, retain and
service members of all ages.
In addition to the new training mandate, beginning January 1, 2009, CMS will require health plans to:
- prepare voluntary procedures for self-reporting potential fraud and misconduct, and
- incorporate fraud, waste and abuse prevention measures into their compliance plan.
To ensure adherence to the new regulations, Connextions has contracted with Valencia Enterprises to help develop an intensive training course that will be mandatory for all current and
future in-house insurance agents at Connextions who support the company's health plan clients. The CMS training (www.connextions.com) is in
addition to the rigorous state health insurance licensing, sales and product-specific training that Connextions provides its agents through the company's in-house College of Insurance.
Valencia was selected to help Connextions develop the CMS curriculum because of its recognized expertise in professional skills training and certification.
"Connextions is training its health insurance agents well in advance of the CMS implementation deadline to ensure that our health plan clients are in compliance with the new federal
standards," said Patty Ogger, Director of Training and Quality. "We intend to play a leadership role in delivering a level of service that benefits health insurers as well as consumers."
Connextions Inc. is a technology-based business process outsourcing firm with broad expertise in the healthcare industry, assisting well-known health insurance plans and healthcare
providers in their efforts to attract, transact with, and retain individual consumers. Connextions is a privately held company, and part of the New Mountain Partners II, L.P. portfolio, a
private equity fund sponsored and managed by Manhattan-based New Mountain Capital LLC.
About Connextions Inc.:
Founded in 1992, Connextions' more than 2,500 professionals provide technology-based business solutions for a long list of America's best-known corporate and healthcare organizations,
including Kaiser-Permanente, FedEx, Sprint, Caremark, Mercedes-Benz, Olympus, SanDisk, Colonial Penn, and Aetna. See www.connextions.com.
About New Mountain Capital:
New Mountain Capital, LLC is a New York-based private equity firm investing for long-term capital appreciation through direct investment in growth equity transactions, leveraged
acquisitions and management buyouts. New Mountain seeks out the highest quality growth leaders in carefully selected industry sectors, and then works intensively with management to build
the value of those companies. See www.newmountaincapital.com.
For additional information:
Gordon G. Andrew
Senior Vice President
Connextions, Inc.
(407) 563-4440
Cell: (609) 987-0200
gandrew@connextions.com