PORTLAND, Ore. – March 22, 2022 – Ucare has selected HealthSparq, a healthcare guidance and transparency technology company serving health plans, as its partner to power a price transparency solution, giving members personalized and accurate cost estimates for healthcare services.
UCare, an independent, non-profit health plan providing health coverage and services across Minnesota and western Wisconsin, has long been committed to de-complicating healthcare and going the extra mile for its more than 600,000 members. By partnering with HealthSparq, UCare will make planning for the financial impacts of healthcare easier and give members an exceptional digital experience with information that is easy to digest and act on.
“We work hard to empower our members to make the best decisions for their health,” said Margie Lindberg, UCare Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Product Management. “With HealthSparq’s solution, we’ll be able to simplify members’ coverage and help build their confidence about choosing the right care.”
HealthSparq’s price transparency solution will ensure UCare is ahead of the curve in complying with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) self-service mandates for health plans, which go into effect in 2023, and require that members have access to online price transparency tools. In addition to mandate support, HealthSparq is also delivering meaningful insights to members with the company’s Treatment Timelines. This tool estimates both the time care will take and all the costs involved from evaluation through recovery for complex care such as surgeries.
“The real value in price transparency for people is making sure the information is clear and meaningful,” said Mark Menton, HealthSparq’s General Manager. “Just meeting the mandate isn’t the best we can do – people deserve a great experience and guidance to the right care for them and we’re proud to be working with UCare to deliver that to their members.”
About HealthSparq
At HealthSparq, we help people make smarter healthcare choices by partnering with health plans to share cost and quality information about doctors, hospitals, medical services, and medications. Serving more than 90 million members across the country, we put people at the core of everything we do by conducting continuous usability testing, turning consumer research into product innovations, hosting industry panels featuring everyday people, and bringing human stories to the forefront through our #WTFix campaign. Using these insights, we create solutions to help people understand and navigate the healthcare system better than ever before.
Born inside a health plan in Portland, OR, we’ve been growing since our 2012 corporate founding. In 2021, we became part of Kyruus, the leader in provider search and scheduling solutions for healthcare organizations, to pursue a shared vision of connecting people to the right care. Contact us at HealthSparq.com or tweet us @HealthSparq.
About UCare
UCare is an independent, nonprofit health plan providing health care and administrative services to more than 600,000 members throughout Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin. UCare partners with health care providers, counties, and community organizations to create and deliver Medicare, Medicaid and Individual & Family health plans. All of its plans are accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
The health plan addresses health care disparities and care access issues through a broad array of community initiatives. UCare has received Top Workplaces honors from the Star Tribune for 12 consecutive years since the rankings began in 2010.
