BARMER made its mark not only on the fiercely competitive health insurermarket but also on battling the rising costs of the health system itself. BARMER’s services must be customer-oriented and easy to use, while atthe same time keeping costs low.

BARMER recognized the Internet’s potential and sought a content management system that optimally integrated its internal processes and third-party systems into the company’s Web presence. The goal was to provide customers with personalized services such as pre-filled web forms or reminders about preventative medicine that are sent via email.

At the same time, BARMER employees needed an easy-to-use system thatwould automate certain processes such as document lifecycles. Contentneeded to be usable in different areas and capable of being re-formatted,without having to be re-edited on every occasion. In short: BARMER requireda sustainable, future-proof solution.

BARMER chose CoreMedia CMS. CoreMedia CMS offers the desired separation from content and layout and is the product of many years of experience with large, high-traffic portals that include personalized services. Thanks to open interfaces, it offers limitless integration for BARMER’s third-party systems.

Editorial work is kept simple and logical with workflows that can be organized exactly as desired, combined with a mature version control system. For this system, sustainability isn’t just a slogan: in a relaunch that took place occurred about a year after the initial implementation with CoreMedia CMS, many things changed in the site’s appearance and concept, but CoreMedia CMS remained the foundation.

Content can be brought over into the new site layout without having to be re-edited – nor does it require a complex import process. Added to this, another key feature is available for the site, thanks to the architecture of CoreMedia CMS: The site fulfils 95% of the guidelines of the Barrierefrei Informieren und Kommunizieren (BIK) (“Accessible information and communication”) initiative. This is a remarkable achievement and sets new standards for a public company – and for a healthcare provider in particular. Nor is this the only award. With CoreMedia CMS, the project’s implementation partner T-Systems Multimedia Solutions has convincingly showed that CMS and creative innovation are not a contradiction in terms: In 2006, the BARMER portal received the distinguished iF communication design award.