|
San Francisco, CA — Thursday, September 20, 2001 — BenefitPoint, the leading Internet-based platform for
the distribution and management of group insurance and financial products, today
announced that Twinsburg, Ohio-based Cole Managed Vision (CMV) has selected BenefitPoint's eCommerce
platform to assist in marketing its vision benefit programs online. BenefitPoint's technology affords CMV
the opportunity to leverage BenefitPoint's electronic distribution channel of brokers and consultants to
further grow its business. Established in 1988, Cole Managed Vision has become one of the nation's largest
providers of vision programs with a membership base that currently exceeds more than 94 million participants.
Utilizing BenefitPoint's eCommerce platform, CMV will realize new efficiencies by connecting to
brokers and consultants in combination with its traditional B2B selling strategy. BenefitPoint's
distribution channel includes more than 150 leading brokerage and consulting firms across the country.
Part of Cole Vision Corporation, CMV's network combines the best names in retail optical chains with
thousands of private practice optometrists. The company's success is based on offering choice in benefit
designs and network composition which includes one of the largest retail provider panels in the country
including Sears Optical, Target Optical, JCPenney Optical and Pearle Vision locations.
"BenefitPoint will enable us to maximize the real time speed and efficiencies of the Internet when marketing
group vision benefit programs to employers, health plans, trust funds and associations nationwide," said Jim
Wright, vice president of sales and marketing for Cole Managed Vision.
"With some of the most recognized brands in the optical industry, we are pleased that Cole Managed Vision
has chosen BenefitPoint as their eCommerce solution," said John T. Scatterday, vice president of
carrier sales for BenefitPoint. "CMV will leverage its competitive edge through BenefitPoint's technology."
About Cole Vision Corporation
Cole Managed Vision, a business unit of Cole National Corporation, develops, markets and administers group
vision benefit programs for employers, health plans, trust funds and associations nationwide. It is one of
the largest managed vision care benefit providers in the United States. Cole Managed Vision may be visited
on the Internet at www.colemanagedvision.com.
About BenefitPoint, Inc.
BenefitPoint delivers the leading Internet-based employee benefits infrastructure for the distribution and
management of group insurance and financial products. As the central nervous system of the employee benefits
industry, BenefitPoint provides a complete set of B2B services enabling benefits professionals to manage the
entire group health insurance and benefits lifecycle. We provide: client management, eProcurement, online
benefits communications, enrollment and administration tools, employee benefit and worksite products and
analytics and data mining.
Building on the existing industry relationships among carriers, brokers, employers, and employees, the
BenefitPoint solution combines the efficiency of the Internet with the established distribution model of
the insurance industry to eliminate paper, to make it possible to deliver more products and services, and
to make better information available.
Since general availability in February 2000, BenefitPoint has received widespread industry adoption
from regional and national insurance carriers as well as from more than 120 of the leading U.S.-based
brokerage and consulting firms. The company, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, can be reached at
415.277.5600 or at www.benefitpoint.com.
BenefitPoint, Inc. is privately held.
|
