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Finally, we have at times kept our eye closely
on the ultimate; we have at all times, and I think this
is so important because this is what ERISA says, and
this is what these funds are about, we have kept our
eye closely on the ultimate purpose of these Funds
to serve our participants, beneficiaries and their
families. That communication question is a long and
difficult one, but one which we address.
We have speeded up the processing of all
claims. We distributed a clear and fully informative
annual financial report. And we now have a toll-free
hot line handling 2,500 calls a day from our partici­
pants. It opens at 6:00 in the morning and goes to
11:00 at night. We have 31 operators. They go through
six weeks of training. They have a CRT in front of
them. And 85 percent of the qUestions are answered on
the phone.
Just last week we announced the formation of
the First National Preferred Provider Organization, or
PPO, in association with the Voluntary Hospital
Association of America, which is composed of hundreds
of the most prestigious non-profit hospitals throughout
the country. The Teamster PPO is already being acknow­
ledged by health industry experts to be a breakthrough