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Press Release
Optum Customers to Access IM for Health and Well-Being Information
FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 26, 2001 -- FaceTime Communications, the premier provider of instant messaging for business, and Optum, a leader in providing creative and innovative customer contact strategies and technologies, recently announced its partnership with FaceTime Communications to provide technology support for instant messaging (IM) with Optum NurseLine's registered nurses. Optum will integrate FaceTime Communications' IM technology and deliver IM services as an "add-on" component to the Optum NurseLine program, providing individuals with a new channel for rapid and reliable health information.
Instant messaging is the fastest growing communications channel in history. According to International Data Corporation (IDC), by 2004, more than 400 million people will be using instant messaging to generate 2 trillion instant messages between consumers and businesses. By extending IM into the health information arena, Optum provides individuals with yet another option by which to contact an Optum professional.
By going online, IM users will now be able to select a custom "buddy name" from their list and connect with Optum's secure OptumLive! chat technology. They will experience a live, one-on-one conversation and share Web pages with Optum NurseLine's nurses. As with all Optum services, NurseLine instant messaging via OptumLive! is private, confidential and secure, unlike most standard instant messaging services available today. FaceTime hosts and maintains Optum's custom IM names, which are programmed to include instructions for secure NurseLine chats, and password-free access to Optum's award-winning Internet application, HealthForums.com.
Additionally, with FaceTime's Instant Message Director application, Optum enables customers to differentiate and extend their brand image by creating a custom "buddy name" on the America Online (AOL), Microsoft Network (MSN) and Yahoo! public IM networks. The custom buddy name can then be promoted to consumers and kept online in a user's buddy list for instant access to NurseLine anywhere, at any time.
"FaceTime provides us with a flexible connection to the public IM networks and easy-to-deploy integration and hosting services," said John Kluchka, manager of new product research and development at Optum. "The IM capability offers individuals a unique new option when contacting an Optum professional to obtain health and well-being information and resources when, where and how they are needed."
Through telephone, in-person, Internet and print channels, Optum makes nearly 22 million contacts annually with the more than 20 million individuals they serve.
"We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Optum, to provide IM to the individuals they serve and to be part of Optum's extensive, customer-focused portfolio of products and services," said Glen Vondrick, CEO, FaceTime Communications. "The Optum implementation demonstrates that instant messaging can provide a new vehicle for accessing health information and is an integral part of customer communications."
IM has empowered users to quickly connect with others via "buddy lists" that show who is online through net-connected devices, such as desktop PC's, set-top boxes and mobile devices. Optum's relationship with FaceTime brings this level of connection to health information and is another example of how consumers are benefiting from new communications technologies.
About FaceTime Communications
Founded in 1998, FaceTime Communications is the leading provider of security solutions for the management and
control of greynet applications such as adware/spyware, instant messaging, webmail, P2P file sharing, web
conferencing and instant voice. FaceTime delivers the industry's first IMPact Index, which assesses "point-in-time"
risks posed by viruses, worms and other malware propagating through greynet applications. FaceTime's award-winning
solutions are used by over 600 customers, among them seven of the eight largest U.S. financial institutions.
FaceTime supports or has strategic partnerships with all leading public and private IM network providers, including
AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, IBM, Bloomberg, Jabber and Reuters.
FaceTime is headquartered in Foster City, California. For more information visit http://www.facetime.com or call 888-349-FACE.
About Optum
Optum provides innovative decision support services that help people address the health, well-being and work-life issues they face. Services include a 24-hour nurse line, assistance with emotional, financial and legal issues, management consultation services, self-care publications, and customer service support. Access is consumer-directed, through telephone, in-person, Internet and print channels. For information on Optum's products and services, please call Judy Tacyn at 1-888-262-4614, or visit www.optumcare.com.
PR Contact:
Emily Chamberlin
650-762-2945
echamberlin@ar-edelman.com
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