Humana Enhances Member Interactive Voice Response System with Complete Spanish-Language Functionality

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is enhancing service to its Spanish-speaking members.

Effective July 11, Humana launched its Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRs) with complete Spanish functionality. IVR is an automated telephone technology that allows a computer to interact with members through pre-recorded voice responses, to gather and provide information and to route calls to further resources such as a live customer service representative.

“Spanish-speaking members will now be able to more efficiently perform such tasks as request new identification cards, get a proof of insurance fax or make a health savings account (HSA) withdrawal,” said John Brown, service vice president for Humana. “With this added functionality, Spanish-speaking members will have the same level of self-service and call routing offered to English-speaking callers.”

Humana has a number of IVR systems designed to meet the needs of members and customers. An IVR for Humana’s commercial members was recently designed for Perfect Service, an essential consumer-centric initiative through which Humana challenges its associates and service functions to not only meet customers’ needs, but to anticipate and exceed their expectations. This system provides enhanced self-service that allow our members to get information about their benefits and claims or request new identification cards without waiting to talk to a customer care associate.

Humana offers additional self-service opportunities through special IVR systems supporting the company’s Medicare products, RightSource prescription drug mail order, Nurse Advice and member spending accounts such as health savings accounts, personal care accounts and flexible spending accounts.

All of these systems will be completely Spanish-enabled when the new system goes into operation in July. An IVR for Humana’s dental members will be enhanced with Spanish later in 2008.

The Spanish-language interactive voice response systems were enhanced to facilitate communication with the growing segment of Spanish-speaking members enrolled in Humana health plans. A large number of membership within Humana is located in states where, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics are the largest minority population. These states include Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

The estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 2006 is 44.3 million making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority. There are 32.2 million U.S. household residents age five or older who speak Spanish at home. Hispanics now comprise 15 percent of the nation’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and are expected to comprise 20 percent of the population within the next 20 years. “

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