CoreSource News

A CoreSource Renaissance: LifeWell Partnership Opens New Doors in Atlanta

Like most big cities, Atlanta has been a tough nut for CoreSource to crack when it comes to getting new business. Big carriers, like Blue Cross Blue Shield typically dominate in metropolitan areas due to the discounts they drive down and offer. But a new partnership with an emerging TPA called LifeWell Health Plans has given CoreSource an entryway into the Atlanta market.

LifeWell has built a network in Atlanta that offers top tier discounts. But the company was lacking in technology, case management and administrative depth necessary to serve most self-funded groups by today’s standards. Under the CoreSource-LifeWell partnership, which became effective on Oct. 1, CoreSource will provide those “back room” support services in exchange for a split of all existing and future LifeWell based revenue.

“This is a joint partnership in the truest sense,” said Jonathan Dimmock, CoreSource Sales Executive in Atlanta who’s also serving as LifeWell’s lead sales contact. “They had needs and we had needs and we were able to fill them for both organizations. LifeWell provides the discounts and we provide the back room functions.”

Dimmock said 13 LifeWell groups are currently transitioning to CoreSource. He also said three new groups have been added since the partnership took effect, including Marietta, GA-based Cobb Energy, a 600-life account. “We took that case from the Blues because of the value this partnership provides,” said Dimmock. “Once people start hearing that Cobb Energy has done something different, it should have a ripple effect. This gives us a footprint and credibility in Atlanta.”

Dimmock originally proposed a CoreSource acquisition of LifeWell last November. But the company decided a partnership would be a better way to go. Dimmock credits Charlotte and Columbus location leader, Jerry Castelloe for “having a vision other TPAs didn’t have” and “finding a way to make this work.”

Castelloe said the new partnership was a perfect example of a CoreSource Renaissance in action. “This partnership is an intersection of ideas and capabilities,” Castelloe said. “We were having the Medici training here in Charlotte when we were putting this together. And that training supported us and helped us think outside the box in terms of thinking of ways to make this opportunity work.”

Castelloe also said they have an ideal, like-minded partner in LifeWell and its founder, Marilynn “Pepper” Schafer. Schafer is a managed care industry pioneer. Before starting LifeWell, she built and managed PPOs and HMOs for Prudential, including the first network for a mega-sized client in the mid-80s, 90,000-life Southwestern Bell.

“Trust was a big issue for me and I’ve felt comfortable with Jerry and CoreSource from the beginning. Both companies share the same high-touch service philosophy,” Schafer said. “I think we now have the best product out there in Atlanta. We can compete on price with the big carriers who can’t match our service, and also with other TPAs who can’t match our discounts. On top of that, we include integrated health management/wellness programs on almost every group and can provide the employer data they don’t get from the big payers. We’ve created a really neat niche here in Atlanta,” she said.