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Bill McKinley
Vice President of Sales
Milliman Care Guidelines
Tel +1 303 898.4007
bill_mckinley@milliman.com

Milliman Care Guidelines^® Replaces Multiple Guideline Sets for Wisconsin QIO

MetaStar License Will Streamline Healthcare Quality Program Reviews

SEATTLE -- Jan.17, 2009 -- MetaStar, Wisconsin's Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), has licensed clinical guidelines and software from Milliman Care Guidelines LLC, A Milliman Company, to coordinate non-physician medical care reviews throughout the state. By adopting the full seven-product Milliman Care Guidelines^® suite, MetaStar now uses a single set of evidence-based guidelines to review healthcare decisions impacting work under Medicare and Medicaid contracts as well as commercial service contracts..

"Before we adopted the Care Guidelines, we were using different criteria to measure and improve quality care for Medicare and Medicaid patients," said Bill French, MetaStar Vice President of eHealth Strategies. "We examined our patient population and found that the Care Guidelines covered all our needs.

"We have improved care efficiencies by eliminating guideline confusion among providers and by using Milliman's strong evidence-based features. We found that the Care Guidelines also best addressed specific patient safety projects, especially prevention of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and SCIP (Surgical Care Improvement Program)," French said.

Scott Harris, Milliman Care Guidelines's Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said, "We are proud that our products and software are being adopted by QIOs such as MetaStar in growing numbers. In fact, the last four years have seen the number of licensed hospitals triple, and a four-fold increase in the number of Quality Improvement Organizations licensed."

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts with QIOs in each state to conduct various reviews and quality initiatives. It does not mandate or endorse the use of any specific criteria set by QIOs or hospitals. Nine QIOs license the Care Guidelines to conduct Medicare quality reviews in 14 states.

Used by more than 1,000 health plans, hospitals, QIOs and other healthcare organizations, the annually updated Care Guidelines products -- Ambulatory Care, Inpatient and Surgical Care, General Recovery Guidelines, Recovery Facility Care, Home Care, Chronic Care Guidelines and Behavioral Health Guidelines -- span the continuum of care, defining treatments and procedures that have proven to be most effective. The guidelines are based on evidence from published scientific studies, including randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, on other published sources such as series with historical controls, and on data such as large-practice outcome reports, large database analyses, or expert-practitioner reports.

Presented in easily searchable checklist format, the Care Guidelines are available in various software products via the Web, or installed on hospital networks, on individual computers or on handheld devices for bedside use.

About MetaStar

MetaStar is a quality improvement organization (QIO) dedicated to ensuring the healthiest lives possible. The organization works with healthcare providers throughout Wisconsin to continually improve the quality of care by being an independent, credible resource for improvement. MetaStar healthcare quality professionals believe all healthcare should be patient-centered, safe, effective, timely, efficient and equitable. The company offers providers the best, most current information in the healthcare field. It brings providers together to share their wisdom, collaborate and learn from one another.

About Milliman Care Guidelines

Milliman Care Guidelines, LLC, A Milliman Company, is located in Seattle, and independently develops and produces evidence-based clinical guidelines and software used by more than 1,000 clients, including hospitals, providers and seven of the eight largest US health plans. Covering the continuum of care, the seven-product Care Guidelines series is updated annually by an experienced team of clinicians and is used to support the care of nearly two-thirds of US health plan members. For more information, visit www.careguidelines.com.

About Milliman

Milliman Care Guidelines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Milliman, Inc., which is among the world's largest independent actuarial and consulting firms. Founded in Seattle in 1947 as Milliman & Robertson, the company now has 49 offices in key locations worldwide. Milliman employs more than 2,000 people, with a professional staff of more than 1,000 qualified consultants and actuaries, including specialists ranging from clinicians to economists. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, employee benefits, property and casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services. Milliman serves the full spectrum of business, financial, government, union, education and nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.milliman.com.