Health Dialog Selected by Medicare for a Voluntary Chronic Care Improvement Program Pilot in Pennsylvania

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2004--

Leading Provider of Care Management Services Is One of the First Firms Selected for Department of Health and Human Services Innovative Program

“We look forward to collaborating with the Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on this important program.”

Health Dialog Services Corporation today announced that it has been selected by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a three-year pilot program in Pennsylvania that will help HHS evaluate various options for providing chronic care management services to fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries on a broad scale. The new pilot program, called the Voluntary Chronic Care Improvement Program (CCIP), is authorized by the Medicare Modernization Act.

Health Dialog will demonstrate its approach to chronic care management by providing care management services over the next three years to at least 20,000 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in Pennsylvania that have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure or complex diabetes (or both).

"The Voluntary Chronic Care Improvement Program will change the face of the disease management industry and, over time, could significantly influence how healthcare is practiced in the United States," said George Bennett, Chairman and CEO of Health Dialog. "We look forward to collaborating with the Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on this important program."

During 2005, HHS will also begin other three-year pilots as part of the CCIP in other geographic regions. The Secretary of HHS may expand programs or program components that prove to be successful beginning two to three and a half years after the programs are implemented. Success includes improving quality and satisfaction, and achieving expenditure targets.

In the Pennsylvania pilot, Health Dialog will serve as the prime contractor. Current plans call for Health Dialog to coordinate the efforts of its own staff and those of a number of respected and established organizations and individuals, including Accenture, Highmark Inc., Independence Blue Cross, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Paradigm Health, Magellan Health, Health Hero, SeniorMetrix, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Cardiology, and Drs. John Wennberg and Albert Mulley (founders of the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision-Making).

About Health Dialog

Health Dialog is a leading provider of care management services, including disease management, and is one of the fastest growing privately held firms in the U.S. The firm helps health plans and self-insured employers improve healthcare quality for their members/employees while reducing overall costs. The firm's services include diagnostic analytic services and telephonic care management support for individuals. The support services help individuals become more actively engaged in their healthcare and have more effective relationships with their physicians. For more information about Health Dialog, please visit www.healthdialog.com.