For more information contact: Tom Doney, President, Cypress Benefit Administrators, (920) 968-4613 or tomd@cypressbenefit.com; or Lori Van Handel at 920-750-5020
Portland, Ore. (August 20, 2012) — Cypress Benefit Administrators, a national third party administrator (TPA) based in Appleton, Wis. and with locations in Portland, Ore., Omaha, Neb. and Pueblo, Col., has announced a strategic partnership with PH Tech, a Salem, Ore.-based TPA, that will allow PH Tech’s clients to seamlessly move their TPA business to Cypress as a result of PH Tech’s recent decision to exit the self-funded benefit administration business.
Under the agreement, Cypress and PH Tech have integrated the enrollment and claims data for current PH Tech clients into the Cypress system, assuring that all critical information is in the Cypress administration system prior to a client transition. Additionally, clients are assured of a smooth transfer because of the shared relationships both TPAs have with pharmacy benefit managers, utilization management companies and other vendors currently in use by PH Tech clientele.
“Giving PH Tech clients the opportunity to move their business to an experienced TPA with an existing presence in the Pacific Northwest assures them of maintaining a local service presence while taking advantage of the national reach Cypress has developed,” said Tom Doney, Cypress president. “Additionally, our state-of-the-art cost control programs will be a powerful complement to the service advantages PH Tech brought to clients over the years.”
Mike Rohwer, M.D. and CEO of PH Tech, noted, “It was obviously a difficult decision for us to exit the TPA business, but we feel very comfortable knowing that our clients will be well taken care of by Cypress and that the transition to their claim system and service model will be a smooth one. That was critical to us as we looked for a way to continue to keep loyal customers satisfied. We know that Cypress values client service above all else, and combined with their emphasis on benefit cost control, we think it will be of great benefit to our clients.”
Both organizations anticipate spending the remainder of the year working closely with PH Tech clients on the transition to Cypress, which was formed in May of 2000 and currently administers self-funded medical, dental and other employee benefit plans for more than 250 clients in 49 states.
PH Tech was incorporated in 1996 to assist providers and payers in the management of managed care rules such as referrals and prior authorizations. In 2000, PH Tech merged with NWTPA, Inc., a third party claims administrator, in order to provide customers with a full array of health care benefits administration.
In relation to the strategic partnership, Cypress has opened an office in Salem and hired Amy Barnwell as regional sales manager. Barnwell had served as PH Tech’s sales and marketing manager for the past six years. In addition to her sales role in the Northwest, Barnwell will serve as the primary service contact for all PH Tech clients transitioning to Cypress.
For more information on Cypress Benefit Administrators, visit http://www.cypressbenefit.com.
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About Cypress Benefit Administrators
Since starting business in 2000, Cypress Benefit Administrators, a privately held company, has evolved into more than a third party administrator (TPA) by pioneering the way toward cost containment in healthcare as the country’s first TPA to bring claims administration, consumer driven health plans and proven cost control measures together into one package. Its customized employee benefit packages combine an appropriate mix of health insurance options that allow for adaptability to the ever-changing healthcare environment and that make sense for employers of 50 to 18,000 throughout the United States. Cypress is committed to saving money for employers and their employees, minimizing employer risk, and making every interaction a positive one through “The Cypress Solution,” a powerful suite of wellness, decision assistance, cost management and information management tools.
