• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Healthways, Rocky Mountain Health Plans Announce 5-Year Health and Care Support(SM) Agreement

Posted on: Thursday, 20 December 2007, 12:00 CST

Reflecting the growing need for total population solutions that help people at all stages of wellness manage illness, reduce health risks and maintain health, Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY) and Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP) today announced a 5-year agreement to make a suite of Healthways Health and Care SupportSM services available to RMHP members. Members at all stages of the healthcare continuum will have access to a variety of services that will enable them to understand their current level of health, work to improve their health status, and have access to intensive, individualized support to manage chronic illnesses.

"We believe the total population approach is key to helping our members achieve their healthy best," said John Hopkins, president and CEO, Rocky Mountain Health Plans. "By offering programs that promote wellness, not just payment for illness, we improve people's lives."

The agreement, which took effect December 1, 2007, provides approximately 100,000 RMHP members with Healthways Health Support services myhealthIQSM and My ePHITSM. myhealthIQ features an online health risk assessment as well as biometric data to generate each members' myhealthIQ score. Members have an incentive to improve their score through health insurance premium reductions and other incentives, as well as the knowledge and support to reach that goal.

My ePHIT is an online health and wellness program that supports healthy lifestyles through physical fitness, healthy eating and behavioral management. The online portal features 24-7 health coaching, personalized nutrition and physical fitness plans and tools that help members manage stress and navigate challenging life events.

The agreement also provides Healthways Care Support interventions to RMHP members living with heart failure, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and low back pain. These Care Support interventions use evidence-based approaches and one-on-one telephonic interactions with nurses and other clinicians to empower patients to adhere to their physician's plan of care and successfully manage their illness, improving quality of care and reducing costs.

"Healthways is leading the way in creating total population approaches to Health and Care Support that meet each person at their greatest points of health need and empower them to live in a better state of wellness," said Healthways President and Chief Executive Officer Ben R. Leedle, Jr. "We look forward to taking our relationship with Rocky Mountain Health Plans and its members into the next decade and beyond."

Safe Harbor Provisions

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. In order for Healthways to utilize the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, investors are hereby cautioned that these statements may be affected by the important factors, among others, included in the discussion in Part I, Item 1A, and Part II, Item 7, of Healthways' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2007. Consequently, actual operations and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Healthways undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements.

About Rocky Mountain Health Plans

Rocky Mountain Health Plans is a Colorado-based, not-for-profit organization that provides medical benefit plans and services to more than 175,905 enrollees. Founded in 1974, Rocky Mountain offers a wide range of options including PPO, HMO, and Health Savings Account-eligible plans. Medical plans can be fully-insured, fully-insured with cost sharing options, or self-funded. Rocky Mountain is the first Western Slope employer to receive the Well Workplace award from the Wellness Councils of America and has a thirty-year history of serving individuals and families, Medicare and Medicaid-eligible persons, and children who receive care under the Child Health Plan Plus program. For more information, contact Rocky Mountain Health Plans at 800-843-0719 or visit www.rmhp.org.

About Healthways

Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY) is the leading and largest provider of specialized, comprehensive Health and Care SupportSM programs and services, including preventive health, outcomes-driven wellness, disease management and high-risk care management to health plans, employers and government. As of May 31, 2007, Healthways' Health and Care Support services were being provided to more than 27 million people nationwide. Healthways helps people lead healthier lives while reducing overall healthcare costs, providing people the support they need when they need it to enable them to make better choices and achieve better health outcomes. For more information, visit www.healthways.com.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category