Christian Products Now a $4.5 Billion Business According to Recent Survey

West Des Moines, Iowa (Vocus) September 14, 2007

Within the Christian products industry, auto and home insurance for churchgoers is among the hottest new offerings. In fact, the popularity of GuideOne Insurance's FaithGuard coverage has grown exponentially since its introduction, as it is now included with about 65,000 policies.

According to statistics released earlier this summer, religious books were the publishing industry's fastest-growing category last year, with Bible sales alone exceeding 25 million copies. And that's just the tip of the iceberg for the $ 4.5 billion Christian products industry,* which runs the gamut from books and videos to toys, games and, now, even insurance.

Launched two years ago in select test markets, GuideOne Insurance's FaithGuard Auto and Home product is now offered to churchgoers in 19 states. FaithGuard offers customers a number of unique benefits including waiving policyholders' deductibles in crashes that happen on the way to church and doubling medical payments to persons injured during at-home church activities.

The appeal of FaithGuard is fairly obvious to policyholders such as Andrew and Celeste Parker of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Parkers were on their way home from their weekly church service when they hit a pipe in the road that damaged their tire. Though their policy had a $ 1,000 deductible, they ultimately paid nothing because they were on their way home from a religious service.

"Interest in niche insurance products has really exploded in the past year," said Joseph Annotti, senior vice president of public affairs at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). "As far as we can tell, there is no other coverage for churchgoers quite like this, and obviously there is demand for it."

In addition to the benefits listed above, FaithGuard also will make payments of auto loans and church tithing for insured persons losing income from injuries suffered in such accidents. Additionally, policies with FaithGuard pay a $ 1,000 memorial gift to the insured person's church in the event of his or her death; double medical payments in the event of injuries to attendees of church-related events in the insured person's home; and cover mortgage, lease or rent payments for insured persons losing incomes as a result of an accident in the home.

Founded in 1947 and headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, GuideOne Insurance is one of the nation's largest church insurers, with approximately 43,000 church policyholders. GuideOne also insures faith-based private schools and colleges as well as not-for-profit senior living communities. GuideOne's personal product lines include standard auto, homeowners, and life insurance products underwritten by the Kansas City Life Insurance Company. GuideOne is licensed to do business in all 50 states and markets its products and services through nearly 1,600 independent and career agents. GuideOne carries an "Excellent" rating from A.M. Best. Visit http://www.guideone.com for more information.

*Sources: USA Today, Chicago Tribune

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Online Personal Health Record (PHR) Provider ZweenaHealth.com Featured in Recent Technorati.com Health IT Article

Skillman, NJ (PRWEB) November 16, 2011

ZweenaHealth.com, a provider of online personal health record (PHR) services, was recently featured on Technorati.com in an article by health writer Mary Pat Whaley. The Technorati.com article titled The Personal Health Record (PHR) is Alive and Well! Meet Zweena examined the personal health record (PHR) as a health information technology tool for effective and responsible patient care, while discussing the challenges faced by patients and providers in accessing reliable PHR services to improve treatment and care, and citing Zweena as a service that has emerged as a trusted provider of online PHR solutions which remedy the identified issues. Zweena LLC is a provider of online PHR services that assembles patient medical records directly from doctor's offices, organizes and digitizes them to create an electronic health record that provides updated health information that is safe, actionable, and easy to understand, manage and share.

"PHRs allow the storage of all critical health history information in one place. In the event of an emergency, the patient, caregiver or family member can give providers access to health information. By having the most current information always available, duplicate or unnecessary tests can be avoided as can possible drug interactions. This benefit is achieved without having to rely on the memory or incomplete records of the patient. PHRs also allow patients, caregivers or third-party vendors to update information regularly over the Internet so that new data can always be accessed by stakeholders," says Health Writer Mary Pat Whaley, in her recent Technorati.com article on Zweena.

"Although the death of Google Health this year has led many to speculate that the PHR is an idea too far ahead of its time, Zweena is challenging that notion. Zweena is a personal health record management solution, as opposed to a standalone PHR. Zweena overcomes the traditional downfall of PHRs by taking care of everything for the patient and bridging the (huge) gap between healthcare providers and patients. Upon request by the patient, Zweena contacts the patients care providers, requesting their records and entering the record information into the PHR properly. The patient record, accessible via Microsoft HealthVault, is then available for easy exchange with hospitals, physician offices, continuing care communities, family members and others permissioned by the patient," she goes on to say in the article.

Zweena's online PHR service provides patients and providers with a secure, private and easy-to-access platform that offers a truly comprehensive and accurate online personal health record. By minimizing stress and error and presenting useful health information in a clear and actionable way, Zweena allows patients to really be in control of their health information, and makes it possible for providers to access updated and accurate information that saves time, cost and in emergency cases, human life.

"Most of us only think about our health and our medical records when we are reacting to a health crisis. By then, it is too late to harness the power of our assembled health information. Zweena gives all of us an opportunity to use the information we have today and be more proactive and engaged with our own health information and the information for those we love and care for," comments Zweena CEO John Phelan in the recently published Technorati.com article.

Zweena is gaining increasing recognition as a key player in the provision of trusted, efficient and reliable online PHR service to patients and providers in a time when people are realizing the importance of having a PHR and are beginning to take responsibility for their care, while enjoying better treatment outcomes and the benefits that come with owning a PHR.

To read the Zweena article by Technorati.com Author Mary Pat Whaley, please visit http://technorati.com/technology/article/the-personal-health-record-phr-is1/

The Zweena service is available as a free trial. To learn more or get started, please visit http://www.zweenahealth.com/free-trial/, send an email to info(at)zweenahealth(dot)com or call the Zweena help line on 877-848-4248 for more information.

About Zweena

Zweena empowers patients, their families and healthcare providers to get the best care and make the best health decisions proactively. Zweena achieves this by collecting patient medical records, assembling and storing them with Microsoft HealthVault, and delivering an online personal health record that is safe, private, and easy to access and share at any time, and from any place. Zweena provides you with an easy and structured way to access and store your personal health record, helping you to make sense of it all and always keeping your vital health information within reach during those critical moments in life.

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