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Unity Healthcare Introduces Employee Predictive Modeling Program to Reduce Costs, Improve Health; Selects One Care Street System From Indiana-Based The Haelan Group

Posted on: Tuesday, 16 August 2005, 09:01 CDT

Unity Healthcare, a comprehensive physician network that provides healthcare to Lafayette, Indiana, and surrounding communities, announced today that it will use a predictive modeling system from The Haelan(R) Group, called One Care Street,(TM) to decrease its healthcare costs and improve employee health and productivity.

Wellness programs and health screenings continue to play a role in managing one's health, yet statistics and continued rising healthcare costs show that these programs are not sufficient to reign in costs and improve the well-being of employees.

Unlike current health management programs, the One Care Street predictive modeling tool helps employers find and proactively help high-risk individuals (those that need immediate healthcare intervention) using self-reported survey data rather than claims information. This approach based on the Perceived Health Model looks at a variety of factors that contribute to an employee's sense of feeling ill, in addition to specific medical conditions.

The One Care Street system adheres to HIPAA privacy standards, thereby ensuring that all collected data is not seen by the employer, only those that need access to an individual's person health information, such as the employee's health coach.

"Unity Healthcare believes it must play a significant role in improving the health and quality of life of the communities we serve. After a thorough evaluation, we believe The Haelan Group provides the best approach and the expertise needed for us to work in partnership towards that goal. Our plan is to implement the One Care Street program for our own employees followed by a collaborative approach with The Haelan Group to local employers," said Mark Merryman, CEO of Unity Healthcare.

Approximately 400 Unity Healthcare employees and physicians, plus their spouses, will be eligible to participate in the One Care Street program. At the onset, participants fill out a health survey. Employees found to be at risk will then be offered one-on-one health coaching and/or asked to fill out a goal card in order to make important health behavior changes.

"Predictive modeling combines the spirit of wellness with a set of tools designed to produce real results. By offering health coaching to high-risk individuals, the One Care Street system can find and help the 10-15 percent of an employee/spouse population that accounts for 60 to 80 percent of short-term healthcare costs," said Dr. Julie A. Meek, CEO and founder of The Haelan Group.

Unity Healthcare will offer special incentives to its employees to participate and gain full benefit of the program, including the distribution of free pedometers.

About Unity

Unity Healthcare is a multi-specialty physician group with more than eleven locations serving the Greater Lafayette and surrounding areas. Unity Healthcare currently has over sixty physicians including primary care and specialty care physicians, an ambulatory surgery center, an outpatient imaging center, an outpatient radiation oncology center and an immediate care center. Unity Healthcare also plans to continue expanding both primary care and specialty care services over the next few years. For more information call (765) 447-8133 or please visit www.unityhc.com.

About The Haelan(R) Group

Founded in 1995, The Haelan Group is the only provider of a survey-based, predictive modeling and health coaching system, One Care Street(TM), that finds and helps high-risk employees and members who represent the largest percent of near-term healthcare costs. Focused on improving the health and well-being of individuals and populations, The Haelan Group's mission is to find and help healthcare consumers before they reach a crisis and empower them to improve their own health. The Haelan Group's track record is evidence of success, delivering quick and sustainable results for more than 60 clients. For more information on the One Care Street system, please visit www.haelan.net or contact Jim Kerr, V.P. of Business Development at 317-278-9700.

For more on Predictive Modeling, download a white paper at: www.haelan.net/ocs/news/pdf/predictive_modeling_wp.pdf

Source: Business Wire

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