Clarite Enters Benefits Management Outsourcing Arena;Uniprise Company to Improve Access to...

Business Editors and Health/Insurance Writers

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 2000

Uniprise, a UnitedHealth Group company, today announced the formation of a new company - Clarite that will be dedicated to providing comprehensive human resources outsourcing services.

Clarite is an alliance between Uniprise and The AAC Group, a national human resources technology firm that offers employers technology and services to improve human resources management. Clarite (www.clarite.com) will offer employers an integrated suite of outsourced human resources management services that will meet the needs of employers and their employees. Clarite's products will include benefit administration, data management, and comprehensive HR outsourcing services with an emphasis on providing self-service capabilities to employees and HR managers. Direct, real-time links to Uniprise systems will also offer UnitedHealthcare medical plan members the opportunity to perform administrative self-service tasks such as checking the status of medical claims and reordering ID cards. Clarite is distinctive in the current HR outsourcing industry in offering employee focused self-service functions at this level.

"Our goal is to be the market leader in providing integrated end-to-end outsourcing solutions to employers," said Louis Andersen, Clarite's chief operating officer. "Uniprise's demonstrated strengths in the areas of benefits design, administration, and transaction processing position Clarite to offer customers comprehensive, technology-enabled outsourcing solutions. Outsourcing non-core HR functions allows a company to gain higher levels of functional technology, and deliver improved employee services without incurring the full cost of building the infrastructure needed to support these functions." Andersen added "The alliance with The AAC Group was based on AAC's unparalleled domain expertise in the areas of benefits and HR outsourcing, as well as technological innovation in providing these services."

A recent national survey showed that 74 percent of senior-level benefit managers would like to find improved methods of providing employees faster and easier access to benefits information. Most noted ongoing problems with traditional methods of enrollment and record keeping and felt that outsourcing these functions could substantially improve quality. "HR managers are unhappy with today's methods and are looking for new solutions to their administrative processes," noted Andersen. Clarite estimates that the benefits administration outsourcing market will grow from its current $4 billion annual level to more than $9 billion by 2003.

"Companies are finding that outsourcing is an effective and efficient means of handling human resources functions," said Dave Carlson, CEO and co-founder of The AAC Group. "And because our services eliminate most of the time-consuming administrative tasks inherent in almost all human resources departments, it also empowers human resources professionals to become strategic business partners, which is what HR is intended to be."

Uniprise, headquartered in Hartford, CT, serves the nation's largest employers, currently representing over 6 million individual members. Parent company, Minneapolis-based UnitedHealth Group (http://www.unitedhealthcare.com), is a diversified health and well-being enterprise, which includes Uniprise, UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, Specialized Care Services, Ingenix, and UnitedHealth Capital.

The AAC Group (www.theaacgroup.com), headquartered in Houston, TX, is focused on transforming human resources. Drawing together top talent from both human resources and technology practices, the firm provides innovative, flexible, and cost-efficient HR solutions. The AAC Group offers tools, information, and insight to help managers and employees better manage their jobs, careers, benefits, and business.