INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), the nation's largest health insurance company in terms of medical membership, announced today it will begin accepting applications for its second annual Innovation Event. The conference complements WellPoint's ongoing innovation partnership efforts by providing an accelerated process for identifying and piloting innovative programs and services with small to midsize organizations.

"Our first Innovation Event attracted some of the best and brightest health care entrepreneurs, both domestically and internationally, who share our passion for developing innovative products and services that improve the overall health care experience for consumers," said Chad Pomeroy, WellPoint's vice president of Innovation. "For year two, we hope to build upon that success by identifying solutions that focus on improving consumer and provider engagement."

The Innovation Event, sponsored by the WellPoint Innovations team, will include a wide-ranging, cross-functional team of WellPoint corporate leaders. This year's event will also include an audience of national business leaders, who represent more than 50 national accounts with health benefits administered and/or insured by WellPoint subsidiary companies.

"To further integrate client feedback into the evaluation process, the 2009 event will be held in conjunction with our Customer Advisory Group," said John Langenus, president of national accounts for WellPoint's subsidiary companies. "Our customers tell us that affordability remains the number one issue for them and that they are looking for solutions that encourage their employees to become more informed consumers of health care."

This year's Innovation Event will be focused on engagement, specifically those solutions that improve consumer and provider engagement. Solutions that address ways to control costs through more informed consumers and health care providers, while maintaining quality care, will be given the highest consideration.

"Last year, our goal was to identify at least one organization as a potential partner for an in-market pilot program," Pomeroy said. "The results exceeded our expectations as several attractive opportunities were identified. We continue to explore potential partnerships with these companies and recently signed a letter of agreement with one of them, MedVantx, a pharmaceutical delivery company. We look forward to deploying their unique business model initially in our Kentucky and Ohio markets."

Those companies interested in participating need to complete and submit an application. All applications will be screened and the top submissions will receive an invitation to attend the Innovation Event in March 2009. Companies selected to participate will be notified beginning in late January.

To request an application, please send an e-mail to innovation@WellPoint.com with a subject header of "Application Request - 2009 Innovation Event," and include company name, point of contact, address and phone number.

About WellPoint, Inc.

WellPoint, Inc. is the largest health benefits company in terms of medical membership in the United States. WellPoint is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at www.wellpoint.com.

SOURCE WellPoint, Inc.