Technology company creates healthy exchange

A Dauphin County technology company is creating a virtual information exchange for health care insurers, providers and consumers.

Synertech Health, Systems Solutions, Susquehanna Township, develops software and hardware that allows health insurers to perform business transactions, such as processing claims.

For example, the company sells scanners that scan paper claims so that they can be processed electronically, and software thathelps companies ensure the privacy of health care information.

In late December, the company began marketing a new software product called Web Exchange.

Web Exchange helps health insurers expand the capabilities of their Internet sites, said Bob Klopotek, Synertech's chief information officer and vice president of management information systems.

For example, the software makes an insurer's Web site capable of allowing doctors to check patients' eligibility and submit treatment authorizations online.

On a site running the software, employers are also able to enroll employees online and send e-mail to an insurer, Klopotek said.

Patients can use the site to look for a doctor who is part of an insurer's provider network, he added.

"It's designed to serve everyone who is involved with health care transactions," he said. "It allows health plans to offer something extra to their customers."

Klopotek said several health insurers have expressed interest in using Web Exchange.

Because no sales negotiations have yet been completed, Klopotek refused to discuss the product's average price range, but added that this price will vary depending on an insurer's specific needs.