The federal health reform law's limits on commissions have left insurance brokers scrambling to protect their incomes. Increasingly, more brokers are turning to software to safeguard revenue streams and generate new business.

In fact, WellNet Healthcare Group says they've just certified its 100th broker practice as a partner providing healthcare performance management software solutions. Armed with WellNet's technology, brokers are able to manage the performance of their clients' health plans while saving money in the process, the health care management company claims.

"At a time when the fate of brokers may seem uncertain, HPM provides a lifeline," says Bill Lavis, a partner at Oakland, Calif.-based insurance advisory firm Sitzmann Morris Lavis. "HPM can help brokers stanch the flow of commissions from their practices and rebrand themselves as trusted benefits advisers for their clients rather than middlemen for insurance carriers."