IdeaStar, based in Cleveland, OH is a full-service Web development firm which designs, programs, promotes and manages leading-edge Web sites and e-business applications for the insurance industry.

MemberHealth, headquartered in Solon, OH,  is a leader in the design and execution of prescription drug programs for employers, government agencies, and consumers, as well as one of the top four Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan providers in the nation.

"We appreciate this award as recognition from our peers in the insurance industry who are very familiar with lots of different insurance Web sites," Mike Wise, IdeaStar Vice President of Insurance Technologies, said. "It validates that IdeaStar continues to provide high quality, easy-to-use Web sites for its insurance clients." IdeaStar also earned A.M. Best E-Fusion honors in 2004 and 2003.

Visitors to the site, designed and developed by IdeaStar, can sign-up for the Medicare Part D program, locate participating pharmacies, view various plan details relative to their home state, look up drug prices in their area, review policies and procedures, and more. 

The site was developed and launched in six weeks.  Final documentation released on or about August 15, 2005. The site went live October 1, 2005 with the open enrollment period commencing on November 15, 2005 – right on schedule. 

The results were worth the effort, Charles E. Hallberg, JD, MemberHealth Founder, and President, said.  "By all measures of enrollment and site utilization, communitycarerx.com set the standard within the online Medicare Part D enrollment market," Mr. Hallberg said.  "It seems this site was unique in the Medicare Part D market.  There was industry skepticism that online enrollment would be an asset in the Part D roll-out.  MemberHealth proved otherwise, capitalizing on the marketing opportunity presented by Web-based enrollments."

The numbers speak well for the project.  As of June 30, 2006, there were:

• 380,000 visits to the site
• 280,000 search engine referrals
• 100,000 plus online enrollments submitted
• MemberHealth is the nation's fourth largest Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Provider with over 1 million enrollments, about 10 percent of which was derived online.

The online effort was supported with keyword-rich search engine optimization, and enticing Web site copy that coincided with grass-roots marketing at pharmacies to drive traffic.  Non-technical MemberHealth staff keep the Web site up-to-date with IdeaStar’s Content Management System.

“IdeaStar’s experience with Web design and architecture within the insurance market, as well as previous experience in the precursor Medicare discount drug card program, combined to make the design and construction of the new Part D site simple and painless,” Mr. Hallberg said.

A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative source of insurance company ratings and information.  The final E-Fusion Award winners will be announced during the A.M. Best's Insurance and Technology Conference, E-Fusion 2006, October 23-24 in Boston.  All finalists, including IdeaStar and MemberHealth, will give presentations prior to the final awards.  The annual competition recognizes outstanding and resourceful uses of Internet technology by insurance organizations.