A Focus on Helping Managed Care Organizations Develop Broader,
More Flexible Managed Care Enterprises
NEW YORK, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- IMS HEALTH (NYSE: RX) today announced
that its Erisco Managed Care Technologies unit has entered into a strategic
alliance with GeoAccess to feature "distance-based searching" technology
within Facets(TM), its software-based business solution for managed care
organizations (MCOs). Under the agreement, GeoAccess will provide geocoding
and distance-measuring technology within Facets' customer service application,
enhancing the accuracy of geographic information that MCOs provide to their
members about healthcare providers. IMS HEALTH is the world's leading
provider of information solutions to the pharmaceutical and healthcare
industries.
GeoAccess' exclusive technology "geocodes" street addresses and calculates
estimated driving distance between those addresses, allowing for precise
measurements of the geographic accessibility of network providers to managed
care members.
The GeoAccess announcement is an example of several such alliances under
development at Erisco Managed Care Technologies to deliver customer solutions
that extend beyond Facets' core administration and medical management
capabilities. These alliances are a key to helping MCOs create broader, more
flexible Information Technology enterprises that can help solve their business
challenges today and in the future.
"At Erisco Managed Care Technologies, we are focused on delivering
strategic value to customers. Building alliances with complementary, 'best-
of-breed' solution partners who are equally committed to this principle is
critical to our success," said Leon DeMaille, vice president of marketing at
Erisco Managed Care Technologies. "Integration with GeoAccess will enable our
customers to seamlessly, and more productively, access and leverage data to
provide superior service -- a fundamental aspect of managed care today."
"GeoAccess has earned a reputation as the managed care industry's standard
for network accessibility technology," added Paul Weaver, who oversees
GeoAccess' new strategic alliances program. "We are pleased to make our
distance-based searching technology available as a component of Facets. We
expect to continue working with Erisco Managed Care Technologies to increase
interoperability between Facets and other GeoAccess solutions."
DeMaille also noted that Facets' open client/server architecture enables
Erisco Managed Care Technologies to more easily deliver interoperability and
broader business solutions via complementary alliances. "The open
architecture allows our customers to implement Facets as an integral part of
their enterprise strategy, positioning their businesses to respond to whatever
the future may bring," he said.
Founded in 1968, Erisco Managed Care Technologies is a leading provider of
software-based business solutions and services for managed care organizations.
Its innovative information technology solutions serve HMOs, PPOs, Blue Cross
Blue Shield organizations and managed indemnity organizations, and currently
manage the administration of more than 35 million lives worldwide. Facets is
an advanced client/server solution that automates and integrates all essential
managed care business functions, enabling MCOs to manage multiple lines of
business -- from advanced managed care, to point-of-service, to managed
indemnity.
IMS HEALTH
Erisco Managed Care Technologies is a unit of IMS HEALTH (NYSE: RX), the
world's leading provider of information solutions to the pharmaceutical and
healthcare industries. With more than $1 billion in 1997 revenue, IMS HEALTH
operates in over 90 countries. IMS HEALTH is the largest pharmaceutical
manufacturer information partner, with over 40 years' experience in the
industry. Key products and services integral to customer day-to-day
operations include: market research for prescription and over-the-counter
pharmaceutical products; sales management information to optimize sales force
productivity; technology enabled selling solutions for sales and marketing
decision-making; and technology systems and information services that support
managed care organizations.
Additional information on Erisco Managed Care Technologies can be obtained
from its Web site: http://www.erisco.com. Additional information and
previous press releases are available at IMS HEALTH's Web Site at
http://www.imshealth.com.
This press release includes statements which may constitute forward-
looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although IMS HEALTH believes the
expectations contained in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it
can give no assurance that such expectations will prove correct. This
information may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results of IMS HEALTH to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements. Factors which could cause or contribute to such differences
include, but are not limited to (i) the risks associated with operating on a
global basis, including fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies
relative to the U.S. dollar, and the ability to successfully hedge such risks,
(ii) the extent in which IMS HEALTH seeks growth through acquisitions, and the
ability to identify and consummate acquisitions on satisfactory terms, (iii)
the ability to develop new or advanced technologies and systems for its
businesses on a cost-effective basis, (iv) regulatory and legislative
initiatives, particularly in the area of medical privacy, and (v)
deterioration in economic conditions, particularly in the pharmaceutical,
healthcare, information technology or other industries in which IMS HEALTH's
customers operate.
SOURCE IMS HEALTH
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CONTACT:
AnnMarie Kemp, 860-659-0514, or Rebecca
Kuchar, 860-659-0514, both of IMS HEALTH
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