Frequently Asked Questions

No one else cares about your health and that of your family like you do. “Take Charge Of Your Healthcare” for you and your family. In this complex healthcare environment, you need a trusted ally. That ally is iPHC.

The iPHC mission is to be an advocate and resource for iPHC Members to allow them to direct, control, and coordinate their own healthcare information and services with their healthcare providers.

You pay a one-time Life Membership fee which entitles you (and with many benefits your family also) tocurrent and future iPHC benefits that you select. Benefits such as patient advocacy, discounts, educational materials, and tools that will help you and your family reduce your costs of healthcare, and navigate the complex healthcare system to receive better care. With your Life Membership, you then select a benefit plan that meets the needs of you and your family. You decide what you need; Personally Directed Healthcare brought to you by iPHC.

Begin by reviewing the Membership Benefits page and then just select one of the sign up buttons. It is that easy. The site will guide you through the process.

The iPHC Professionals have been working with Physicians, Hospitals, and others in the healthcare system for over 30 years; and continue to do so. It is this experience and these connections that iPHC has that gives the iPHC Member an insider advantage. Along with the iPHC internal resources, iPHC has strategically partnered with nationally recognized companies in the healthcare industry to provide iPHC Members with many key resources and benefits. While some of the iPHC Strategic Partners may sell directly to consumers, the prices you would pay is usually significantly higher; you have to deal with a long list of vendors and their sites and you do not have the iPHC Professionals as "Your Advocate". iPHC has established these strategic partnerships to leverage the economies of scale and influence for our members.

The following is a brief outline of some of the key iPHC Benefits.

·         iPHC Discount Health Products Center – For You & Your Family

o   Discount Prescription Drugs

o   Discount Vision Care

o   Discount Dental Care

o   Discount Imaging Care

o   Discount Lab Testing

o   Future Discount Programs

·         iPHC Link To Health Advocate – For You & Your Family

o   Help Find The Right Doctors

o   Help Research Treatment Options

o   Help Resolve Insurance Claim Problems

o   Help Answer Medical Questions

o   Help Navigate The Healthcare Maze

o   Help With Other Healthcare Related Issues

o   MedChoice Support Tool

o   Wellness Program With Coaching

You will be assigned a unique iPHC Member Number, which will identify you and your family to the iPHC Strategic Partners as an iPHC Member. When contacting or doing transactions with an iPHC Strategic Partner, you should always provide your iPHC Member Number. This will guarantee you the preferred service due iPHC Members. If you are dissatisfied with any of the iPHC Strategic Partners, notify iPHC and we will intervene on your behalf. We are Your Advocate, and committed to our iPHC Members. 

You know that dealing with the healthcare system can be difficult and sometimes impossible. There is strength in numbers. You also need an objective, authoritative, and trusted source for information about healthcare and healthcare options to “Take Charge of Your Healthcare”. That is why you need iPHC and the iPHC Strategic Partners as Your Advocate.

 All of your healthcare decisions should be “Shared Decisions” between you and your healthcare providers. Being an educated consumer/patient with your own PHR that you created will provide the following benefits.

• More accurate information for your healthcare providers
• Better communications and questions by you to your healthcare providers
• Better understanding of communications by your healthcare providers to you
• Better understand your healthcare options
• Have access to your health information when you need
• Provide accurate information to your caregivers or emergency contact
• Reduce your costs of healthcare

It’s all about “Personally Directed Healthcare”

iPHC Members can access information on all of our Strategic Partners in the Members Area Section. Here you will find helpful resources and links to each vendor along with their contact information.

 Yes, you have a legal right to your own health records.

The first thing to know is that you have a legal right to the information in your healthcare records. iPHC has program options that allows iPHC to serve as “Liaison” with your healthcare providers. iPHC also has program options to assist you in creating and maintaining your PHR. These programs can also provide security electronic connectivity with your healthcare providers if they agree. Whether or not iPHC serves as a “Liaison” in assisting you with the collection of your healthcare information, iPHC will always be there as “Your Advocate” in navigating the healthcare system.

There is going to be a physician shortage, and access is going to come at a premium; if at all. This is already happening in some states. Being part of the iPHC Consumer-Patient Family will give you an edge. iPHC has been involved in the “Concierge/Boutique Medicine” market since it started. When desired by iPHC Members, iPHC can work with physicians offering these services. In addition, iPHC has business models and expertise to assist your current Primary Care Physician in developing a service for you. iPHC is developing a “Virtual Medial Home” for the iPHC Member to compliment the “Patient Centered Medical Home” being promoted in the healthcare market. You will not be alone in seeking healthcare.

Health Advocate assists employers and their employees (and eligible family members) through our staff of Personal Health Advocates (PHAs). Members needing assistance call a special toll-free Health Advocate telephone number. The member speaks with a PHA, who then becomes "their" Personal Health Advocate, personally helping them with their issue, problem or other need for assistance. After obtaining the necessary background information, the PHA, assisted by a staff of medical directors and administrative coordinators, researches and resolves the inquiry and establishes a time frame and method for responding back to the member.

Our company serves as a liaison for members with healthcare providers, insurance plans and other health-related community resources. We offer a broad menu of services and can address nearly any medical question and issue; including providing assistance finding primary care and specialist physicians and medical institutions and resolving claims, billing and related administrative problems. Health Advocate also helps members access community resources, including senior care services that fall outside traditional healthcare coverage.

Health Advocate:

1. Save members considerable time and money
2. Helps members eliminate the hassels and frustrations typically encountered when dealing with the healthcare system.
3. Assists members in finding the best doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers
4. Handles problems and addresses issues quickly and professionally
5. Protects member's privacy and confidentiality
6. Facilitates access to Centers of Medical Excellance
7. Cuts through administrative red-tape

Health Advocate's headquarters is located in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.

Yes. Health Advocate serves clients throughout the United States.

Health Advocate has been in business since 2001.

There are no geographic boundaries to Health Advocate's program. All you need to do to access services is to call the toll-free number on your membership card. A member of the Health Advocate team is always available to assist you.

You will reach your Health Advocate using a convenient toll-free number that will be provided in your welcome packet. This number will also appear on the wallet ID card which will be attached to your member brochure. You will also be able to email Health Advocate at their answer line or fax information to them.

Health Advocate can be accessed 24/7. Our normal business hours are Monday - Friday between 8am and 9pm Eastern Time. After hours and during weekends, staff is always available for assistance with issues that need to be addressed during non-business work hours.

Yes. All eligible family members are allowed to call Health Advocate directly for service. In addition to the employee, family members who are covered and can use the service include a spouse, dependent child(ren), parents and parents-in-law.

Depending on the child's age and state laws, a minor child may be permitted to sign the Health Advocate release. In other circumstances, the child's parents or legal guardian are permitted to sign the authorization. This authorization gives Health Advocate permission to work on behalf of the child and gain access to medical information.

Yes. When you call Health Advocate for the first time, you will speak with a Personal Health Advocate (PHA). Each time you call for follow-up help, you will be able to speak with the same person. Generally, the only time you will speak with someone other than your assigned PHA, is if you call after-hours or on weekends. In these circumstances, you may receive a return call from another Personal Health Advocate who is on-duty to handle after-hours calls.

As long as you are eligible to use Health Advocate, then your spouse, dependent children, parents and parents-in-law can also use the Health Advocate coverage.

Yes. Health Advocate will work with you to assist your parents in locating necessary services.

All you need to do is call Health Advocate for assistance. One of the Personal Health Advocates, assisted by our team of medical directors and benefits and claims specialists, will review the details of your child's medical condition in order to fully understand the nature of the problem. After they have reviewed this background information, they will work with you to find the best doctors and other medical providers to help your child.

Yes. All you need to do is to call your Personal Health Advocate and explain the nature of your concern. Health Advocate's staff will review your need and help you find another qualified physician who specializes in this condition for a second opinion.

Simply call Health Advocate. Our service can provide assistance to help you find the information you need. We can also help to find and arrange community-based services for your parents. Often, many of these services are provided at little or no cost through government and/or community organizations, which we can help you to identify.

Yes. Your parents and parents-in-law are eligible to use our services.

Health Advocate's staff carefully reviews available options. Depending on the circumstances of your case, we may contact leading medical authorities in local communities and acknowledged centers of medical excellence throughout the nation. We also review the medical literature and have access to other databases to assist our medical team as they attempt to assist our members.

First, it is best to contact your health plan and try to resolve the issue. If that doesn't work, simply call Health Advocate if you receive a bill that you believe has not been processed correctly. We will review the bill for you and work to resolve any discrepancies. If necessary, we will contact the healthcare provider and/or your insurance company to attempt to correct any errors.

Yes. We provide assistance with dental issues.

Often, the answer is yes. If it is clear that your condition requires an earlier appointment, Health Advocate will call the specialist physician and attempt to arrange a more timely appointment.

Yes. Health Advocate may be able to help you better understand your condition. Many times we will take the time to call your doctor's office to get a complete update about what you were told, but did not fully understand. We may arrange another time for you to speak with your doctor or, after we speak with your doctor's office and get the details of your medical condition, we will call you back and explain in simple terms the status of your medical situation.

Health Advocate offers a number of important benefits including providing expert assistance solving health and insurance-related problems and saving individuals both time and money. Most importantly, Health Advocate gives individuals a special advantage "by having someone on their side" in order to enhance their healthcare experience.

Whether it's a medical emergency, being away from home or simply being asked to fill out all kinds of forms at the doctor's office, iPHC Personal Health Record powered by Microsoft Health Vault can provide you with immediate access to your medical information.

Emergency Report includes:

• Allergies
• Conditions
• Medications
• Medical History
• Emergency Contacts

Yes, you can, but the challenge is keeping the information up-to-date, secure, accessible and easy to retrieve when you need it.

iPHC Personal Health Record powered by Microsoft Health Vault is not only convenient for updating and managing your personal information but also retrieving it in a variety of customizable reports. For example, if you have your medical history filed at home and need to reference it to fill out paperwork at the doctor's office, with your PHR account you could access your information from an internet browser on a mobile device.

Visit our web-site 24/7 and simply click the "login" at the top of the page. Any changes you make are immediately available with whomever you chose to share your information.

iPHC Personal Health Record powered by Microsoft Health Vault provides you the ability to record your personal information and upload copies of important documents such as birth or marriage certificates, deeds, titles and more. Compiling and organizing all of your information can seem daunting but iPHC Personal Health Record powered by Microsoft Health Vault makes it easy to access, enter, update, share and retrieve.

You will have peace of mind not only in life changing situations but also in everyday situations where it is necessary to share information or retrieve it in a convenient customized report.

iPHC Personal Health Record powered by Microsoft Health Vault utilizes the same state of the art data encryption technology as leading financial service providers. We use a variety of proven security controls to ensure your data is secure including login authentication procedures, database and transmission encryption and firewall barriers.

We recognize that security is an integral part of our application. We have put in security controls to ensure our application was designed properly, implemented correctly and operate effectively.

iPHC Personal Health Record powered by Microsoft Health Vault is the revolutionary yet secure way to manage your personal information. As a subscriber you can enter and update personal, medical, financial, legal and insurance information online to our state of the art, encrypted site with the ability to authorize complete or partial access to advisors, physicians and loved ones.

The patent pending software is truly unique in providing you complete sharing right controls. By creating personal and professional share users you have the ability to share entire modules, categories, sections or even specific records of your choice. It's your data; you can decide the specific information to share and are always in complete control.

To ensure you receive your iPHC Health discounts, you need to visit a participating pharmacy or health care provider.

There is no waiting period. Just register your card and start using it immediately.

Yes, present your card every time you buy a prescription not covered by insurance or Medicare Part D, or visit a participating physician, dentist, or health care provider.

No, this is not insurance. iPHC works to find programs that provide discounts on health care services for our members.

The following are the key steps iPHC takes to protect your privacy and security.

• iPHC does not store your credit card number
• iPHC does not store your social security number
• iPHC does not store any of your personal health information (unless your authorize it)
• iPHC does not sell your information
• iPHC Strategic Partners comply with HIPAA standards when required
• iPHC connections are secure connections when required