Federal Association of Company Health Insurance Funds Recognized
by Independent Business Application Research Center For "BKK InfoNet"
Excellence
HANNOVER, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2007--BKK Bundesverband, the German Federal Association of Company Health Insurance Funds, has won the prestigious 2007 Best Practice Award for a Teradata-based business intelligence platform it calls the "BKK InfoNet," according to Teradata, a division of NCR Corporation (NYSE:NCR). BKK is a large association of independent corporations which insures more than 14 million customers, and comprises about 20 percent of the German health care insurance market.
Each year during the world's largest IT tradeshow, CeBIT, in Hannover, Germany, the independent Business Application Research Center (BARC) presents this award for the best German language Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence (BI) solution. The BKK prevailed against well-known competitors.
According to BARC officials, what tipped the scales for the world-class jury was the diversity and multiplicity of integrated data pools, the broad spectrum of BI functionality, and the solution's flexible architecture. The solution was custom-designed for optimal performance in the statutory health insurance fund market. Within that context, the jury also placed key emphasis on the innovative use of Web services.
The solution is based on Teradata's Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) technology. Conceived to enable a large, multiple-client system from the outset, the EDW integrates and manages data from many statutory health insurance funds. Select information is then made available to authorized users for analysis and assessments. Currently, BKK InfoNet has around 1,500 registered users. About 20,000 additional users across 190 insurance fund facilities can also access the directories for business insight under detailed security measures which protect the individual privacy of members. The Teradata Warehouse was first implemented in 1997, followed by a number of expansion orders, with the most recent upgrade occurring in 2006.
The flexible data model and architecture allow changes to be made to data structures in order to respond quickly to emerging business needs including new requirements driven by health insurance fund mergers. BKK InfoNet integrates, to a significant extent in real time, data from a large number of heterogeneous sources, including pharmacies and hospitals. Data from as many as two billion claims per year are managed by the data warehouse.
According to BKK, Teradata's EDW delivers exceptional performance in its complex, mixed workload data environment through extreme scalability, yet at minimal administrative expense. "Teradata's data warehouse technology provides a 360-degree view of BKK performance and account data," said Hartmut Scholz, chief information officer of BKK Bundesverband. "This transparency is the primary prerequisite in realizing economic efficiency while also enabling a high quality of service to our BKK-insured customers."
The company has also reported that BKK Infonet provides a broad range of BI functionality, including standard and ad-hoc reporting, analytics and data mining. Through enterprise data analyses, company health insurance fund users gain insight into the success rates for doctors and hospitals as well as the effectiveness of specific therapies. BKK InfoNet also provides detailed accounting data as a basis for compiling accurate performance benchmarks to generate intelligence useful in negotiating contracts with health care providers.
According to BARC officials, the jury was impressed by the use of data mining in order to detect accounting fraud and cases of abuse. "The possibilities of using BKK InfoNet for analytical processes are remarkable and include a means for identifying fraud," said jury chairman and BARC Managing Director Dr. Carsten Bange.
Access to data stored in the EDW is limited by a multilevel security model to guarantee privacy and keep competitive details secure. Each insurance fund staff has full access to its own data on customers and performance, but they can only access the data of other organizations in an anonymous yet differentiated manner. Data on some 286,000 health care providers are available to all members on an equal basis.
BKK's award-winning solution consists of a Teradata Enterprise Data Warehouse with a current capacity of 12 terabytes, Teradata Warehouse Miner, BI Query, SAS tools and COGNOS ReportNet 8.0.
About the Business Application Research Center (BARC)
The Business Application Research Center (BARC), based in Wuerzburg, Germany, offers companies neutral and sound support in conceiving and choosing business software. BARC's work is based on market surveys and product comparisons that have been carried out and published since 1994 by the University of Wuerzburg's Chair for Information Science, which is held by Prof. Dr. R. Thome. The institute's main area of expertise is the compiling of comparative product evaluations (BARC Studies). Incorporation in the studies is free for software providers and ensures the complete neutrality of the evaluators. More information is available on the Internet at www.barc.de.
About The BKK Bundesverband (Federal Association of Company Health Insurance Funds)
Based in Essen, Germany, the Federal Association of Company Health Insurance Funds (BKK Bundesverband) represents 188 company health insurance funds. For more than 200 years, company health insurance funds have been providing coverage for employees of enterprises and companies - from the concierge to the saleswoman to the lady on the assembly line to salesmen and right up through management personnel and top executives. Since the introduction of the freedom to choose an insurance fund, more and more people have opted to cover themselves under a company insurance fund. The health care insurance needs of more than 14 million people, including family dependents, are met today by some 188 company health insurance funds.
About Teradata Division
Teradata (www.teradata.com), a division of NCR Corporation (NYSE:NCR), is the global technology leader in enterprise data warehousing, analytic applications and data warehousing services. Organizations around the world rely on the power of Teradata's award-winning solutions to get a single, integrated view of their business to enhance decision-making, customer relationships and profitability. As a growing business, Teradata is always looking for outstanding talent. To learn more about Teradata career opportunities, visit www.teradata.com/careers.
About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE:NCR) is a leading global technology company helping businesses build stronger relationships with their customers. NCR's Teradata(R) data warehouses, ATMs, retail systems, self-service solutions and IT services provide Relationship Technology(TM) that maximizes the value of customer interactions and helps organizations create a stronger competitive position. Based in Dayton, Ohio, NCR (www.ncr.com) employs approximately 28,900 people worldwide.
NCR and Teradata are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.
CONTACT: Teradata Division - Germany
NCR Corporation
Alexandra Wenglorz, +49 211 5061 162
alexandra.wenglorz@teradata-ncr.com
OR
Teradata Division - United States
NCR Corporation
Mike O'Sullivan, 937-445-7152
mike.osullivan@teradata-ncr.com
SOURCE: NCR Corporation