TRUMBULL, Conn., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Oxford Health Plans,
Inc. (NYSE: OHP) today announced a new five-year agreement with American
Healthways (Nasdaq: AMHC), the nation's largest provider of disease management
and care enhancement services. In addition to providing continued support to
Oxford members with congestive heart failure (CHF), American Healthways also
will work with Oxford to jointly support members with diabetes and coronary
artery disease (CAD).
"A relatively small number of people with chronic conditions consume the
majority of healthcare resources. Engaging these members to take a more
active role in managing their health will help keep them healthier over a
longer period of time. At the same time, better management of chronic
conditions also provides significant medical cost savings to the healthcare
system overall," said Alan M. Muney, M.D., chief medical officer at Oxford.
"This is essential to keeping healthcare coverage affordable."
"Members with chronic illnesses will typically be more compliant with
treatment plans and diligent in reporting clinical changes when they are
educated about their conditions and receive individual guidance and
encouragement. Physicians also welcome the support these programs provide
their patients," Muney continued. "Expanding our relationship with American
Healthways provides an excellent opportunity to seamlessly enhance our
diabetes and CAD disease management programs and deliver on our objective to
enhance member and provider engagement."
The new agreement is effective immediately. The contract calls for
American Healthways to reach out to more than 85,000 Oxford members with CHF,
CAD and diabetes, and enroll them in this voluntary care enhancement program.
American Healthways will concentrate on the sickest subset in each disease
class, providing extensive outreach to these members, primarily providing
intervention and education by phone. Oxford will continue to support those
members not in the sickest subset through its internal disease management
initiatives.
"Oxford was one of the first managed care organizations to recognize the
potential impact of effective disease management. We have already completed
the necessary education to develop an effective approach to working with
Oxford and its members and are confident that we can achieve strong clinical
and financial outcomes through our expanded relationship," said Ben R. Leedle,
Jr., president and chief executive officer of American Healthways.
Oxford's wellness and disease management programs are designed to support
the doctor-patient relationship by assisting in the coordination of care;
providing ongoing comprehensive patient support; and encouraging high-risk
members to follow their physicians' treatment plans. Oxford's disease
management programs include self-help manuals to members, clinical guideline
updates for physicians, reminder mailings for members to obtain necessary
disease-specific tests, and case management for high-risk members.
Oxford introduced its cardiovascular programs and its diabetic disease
management programs in 1997. In 2001, Oxford updated its cardiovascular
program to address more members at risk for cardiovascular disease under the
HeartSmartsm program. In 2003, the company also expanded its diabetes disease
management program by adding the Oxford Best Practices Diabetes Network.
Oxford collaborates with primary care physicians who have members with
chronically uncontrolled diabetes to facilitate these members getting
appointments with accredited endocrinologists. Oxford also offers
individualized disease management programs for members with asthma, renal
disease and other disease states.
American Healthways (http://www.americanhealthways.com) is the nation's leading
and largest provider of specialized, comprehensive disease management and care
enhancement services to health plans, physicians, medical management
organizations and hospitals. The company's programs have been reviewed and
approved for clinical excellence by Johns Hopkins and have been certified and
accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) and the
American Accreditation Healthcare Commission (URAC). American Healthways has
contracts to provide disease and care management programs in all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. The company also operates
diabetes management programs in hospitals nationwide.
Founded in 1984, Oxford Health Plans, Inc. (http://www.oxfordhealth.com)
provides health plans to employers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut,
through its sales force and through independent insurance agents and brokers.
In 2002, the company received an Excellent Accreditation from the NCQA, an
independent, non-profit organization dedicated to improving managed care
quality and service. Oxford's services include traditional health maintenance
organizations, point-of-service plans, preferred provider plans, third-party
administration of employer-funded benefit plans and Medicare+Choice plans.
Oxford Health Plans, Inc. - Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release may contain comments that are considered
forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable federal securities
laws, which are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to materially differ from those anticipated. A
discussion of those risks and uncertainties is included in the discussion
under the caption "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements"
in Part I, Item 1, of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2002 and Part I, Item 2, of the Company's Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2003.
American Healthways, Inc. - Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon
current expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. In
order for the Company 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, set
forth below, and consequently, actual operations and results may differ
materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. The
important factors are included in the discussion in Part I, Item 1, of
American Healthways' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2002, and Part I, Item 2, of American Healthways' Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended May 31, 2003. The Company
undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking
statements.
SOURCE Oxford Health Plans, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.oxfordhealth.com
htttp://www.americanhealthways.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/104612.html
CONTACT:
Maria Gordon Shydlo of Oxford Health Plans,
Inc., +1-203-459-7674, mshydlo@oxfordhealth.com; or Kriste Goad
of American Healthways, +1-615-263-7524,
kriste.goad@amhealthways.com
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