Vālenz® Health and zakipoint Health Join Partnership, Create Innovative Digital Front Door to Care

PHOENIX, Ariz. (September 22, 2023) — Vālenz® Health announces a partnership with zakipoint Health as they introduce a fully integrated digital front door to care for self-insured employers and their members. Together, the two companies have created zConnect, a user-friendly mobile app that engages members and enhances access to key healthcare data — including cost and quality ratings, plan benefit details, comprehensive lists of in-network procedures and providers, and more.

The zConnect app, piloted among thousands of members, is now available for self-insured employers to integrate into their health plans for improving engagement and connecting members to the Valenz Healthcare Ecosystem Optimization Platform.

“It’s increasingly important to give members omnichannel access to the information they need – when and where they need it – to make more informed decisions about their care,” said Rob Gelb, Chief Executive Officer of Valenz. “Not only are we delivering a key provider search tool in zConnect, but we are also offering insights at every major touchpoint of the healthcare journey – from provider selection and one-on-one chats with nurse navigators to administrative features such as claims and care history, coverage details, ID cards, and much more. Engaging early and often with members via zConnect is a critical component of the Valenz promise to ensure smarter, better, faster healthcare.”

The zConnect app uses a simple, configurable approach to integrate data from the complete range of benefit partners: medical, pharmacy, vision, dental and more.

“Members have lacked price transparency, benefits navigation, and a clear understanding of what actions to take – creating massive inefficiencies in the way they consume healthcare,” said Ramesh Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of zakipoint Health. “By combining our member-facing and employer-facing tools with the unique work Valenz Health does to manage risks and costs, we have an effective offering for self-insured plans.”

Already utilized by thousands of members, zConnect aims to seamlessly decrease plan spend for employers while empowering members to take charge of their care for improved health outcomes.

“Expect Valenz and zakipoint Health to accelerate innovation and uncover new ways to expand the support from this solution, as together we facilitate the potential for greater consumerism in healthcare,” Kumar said.

More information can be found at valenzhealth.com/members/digital-solutions.

 

About Vālenz® Health

Vālenz® Health simplifies the complexity of self-insurance for employers through a steadfast commitment to data transparency and decision enablement powered by its Healthcare Ecosystem Optimization Platform. Offering a strong foundation with deep roots in clinical and member advocacy, alongside decades of expertise in the validation, integrity and accuracy of claims, and a suite of risk affinity solutions, Valenz optimizes healthcare for the provider, payer, plan and member. By leveraging data transparency and delivering an omnichannel approach across the healthcare journey, Valenz improves cost, quality and outcomes for employers and their members – engaging early and often for smarter, better, faster healthcare. More information is available at valenzhealth.com.

About zakipoint Health, Inc.

zakipoint Health is a company on a mission to bring transparency, direction and personalization to healthcare consumers, bringing all benefit services, data, insights and tools into one place for members on a self-insured plan. With a best-in-class platform, reporting, and engagement tools, we identify risks, drive action, connect with members and track success, empowering companies to reduce risk and costs while creating healthier, more engaged members.

Vālenz® Health Acquires KISx Card, LLC, Enhancing Solutions for High-Cost Surgical and Imaging Procedures

PHOENIX, Ariz. (Sept. 15, 2023) — Vālenz® Health announced today it has acquired KISx Card, LLC, a leader in providing self-funded plans with simplified member access to high-quality, direct-provider “non-network” solutions and care navigation for many high-spend surgical and imaging encounters.

Expanding on the foundation of the Valenz Care Value Optimizer (CVO), the KISx Card company will become Vālenz® Health. Members who sign up for benefits and are eligible for surgical and imaging care will have access to care navigators who will facilitate their care and treatment with high-quality providers nationwide for procedures within general surgery, major imaging, colonoscopies and orthopedics.

Valenz navigators leverage the CVO to identify the best available care options based on members’ income, location, benefits and healthcare need. Ultimately, the Valenz CVO keeps members in-network for the best possible care at the lowest cost, making it an excellent fit for integrating the member-centric services of KISx Card.

“We are thrilled to bring KISx Card, their clients and their members into the growing Valenz family,” said Rob Gelb, Chief Executive Officer of Valenz. “This creates the opportunity to strengthen the Care Value Optimizer by offering seamless access to surgical and imaging services, along with concierge member navigation and scheduling support. Our customers will benefit from a transformative direction-of-care model supported by a unique blend of access points, surgical care/imaging bundles and charity care options, driving optimized experiences and significant savings.”

After a nearly year-long partnership offering KISx Card services through the CVO, this is the fifth acquisition since May 2022 for Valenz, which was recently named to the annual Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies. In fortifying the Valenz Healthcare Ecosystem Optimization Platform, a single platform of fully integrated data-driven solutions, KISx Card offers savings ranging from 30 to 80 percent per procedure.

“With a shared commitment to minimizing costs and simplifying the complexities of healthcare, we see this as a great match for our companies,” said TJ Morrison, President of KISx Card. “We look forward to being part of the Valenz vision and culture, as together we accelerate growth and value for clients while enhancing the member experience and supporting them in their health journey.”

About Vālenz® Health

Vālenz® Health simplifies the complexity of self-insurance for employers by consolidating health plan solutions on a single platform – the industry-leading Healthcare Ecosystem Optimization Platform. Valenz has deep roots in clinical and member advocacy, alongside decades of expertise in the validation, integrity and accuracy of claims, and a suite of risk affinity solutions. With a steadfast commitment to data transparency and decision enablement, and an omnichannel approach across the healthcare journey, Valenz engages early and often to optimize healthcare for the provider, payer, plan and member, delivering improved cost, quality and outcomes for employers and their members – for smarter, better, faster healthcare. More information is available at valenzhealth.com.

About KISx Card

KISx Card, LLC was created as a solution for self-funded employers to tackle egregious surgical pricing while bringing simplicity to the employee experience. The KISx Card focuses on high-cost/low-incidence surgeries within orthopedics, general surgery, colonoscopies and major imaging. The KISx Card direct provider “non-network” is built on a bundled price model with a quick payment turnaround time to the facility, surgeon and anesthesiologist.

$1 Million Cost Savings for Individual Group by Valenz Integrated Health Plan Solution Validated by the Validation Institute

PHOENIX, Ariz. (Sept. 6, 2023) — The methodology used by Vālenz® Health to analyze and report cost savings by deploying a new health plan solution, as detailed in a recent case study, has achieved Program Validation for Savings from the Validation Institute.

The Validation Institute certified that “Valenz lowers costs for employers with better discounts on healthcare providers’ billed charges, as well as with a specialty drug program that taps into manufacturer and patient assistance sources.”

The Valenz case study included a consortium of three schools in Missouri with 353 employees and 721 members that was experiencing year-after-year double-digit premium increases under a fully insured health plan. With minimal transparency into claims data, school administrators had little control over the rising trajectory of costs. After implementing the full health plan solution – the Valenz Healthcare Ecosystem Optimization Platform – the consortium saved $1 million in the first year. According to Valenz officials, the company also returned $629,050 in savings for care management. While not validated, as care management savings at the individual member level is not factored into the Validation Institute methodology, total savings excluding drug rebates was $1.68 million.

“This affirmation from the Validation Institute underscores the opportunity for self-insured employers to completely replace their health plan to drive savings and enhance the member’s healthcare journey with proactive care management with the Healthcare Ecosystem Optimization Platform,”  said Rob Gelb, Chief Executive Officer of Valenz. “While our customers have long known the power of the Valenz data-driven platform, the validated case study demonstrates to the market how smarter, better, faster healthcare can be achieved.”

According to recent studies, nearly two-thirds of employers are looking for innovative cost-containment solutions that increase employee access to high-quality providers, make costs more transparent, and ultimately reduce out-of-pocket expenses for specialty drugs.

“Providing a deep level of data transparency – not just into the pricing, but into cost, quality and utilization – is the first step in improving health plan benefits. It’s the same commitment to data transparency that allows us to deliver next-generation, integrated health plan designs with the value self-insured employers deserve,” Gelb said.

“By providing integrated service delivery through its Healthcare Ecosystem Optimization Platform, Valenz Health has demonstrated a clear pathway to more cost-effective and more efficient healthcare for self-insured plans,” said Benny DiCecca, Chief Executive Officer of the Validation Institute.

Read the full case study here.

About Vālenz® Health

Vālenz® Health simplifies the complexities of self-insurance for employers through a steadfast commitment to data transparency and decision enablement powered by its Healthcare Ecosystem Optimization Platform. Offering a strong foundation with deep roots in clinical and member advocacy, alongside decades of expertise in the validation, integrity and accuracy of claims, and a suite of risk affinity solutions, Valenz optimizes healthcare for the provider, payer, plan and member. By leveraging data transparency and delivering an omnichannel approach across the healthcare journey, Valenz improves cost, quality and outcomes for employers and their members – engaging early and often for smarter, better, faster healthcare. More information is available at valenzhealth.com.

 

About Validation Institute

Validation Institute is an independent, objective, 3rd party organization on a mission to improve the quality and cost of healthcare. Based in Needham, MA, the organization is made up of a network of health benefits purchasers, health benefits advisors, and healthcare solution providers focused on delivering better health value and stronger outcomes than conventional healthcare.