For Immediate Release

Contact:
Scott Harris
Director of Marketing & Sales
Milliman Care Guidelines
Tel +1 206 381.8160
Cell +1 480 203.7268
scott.harris@milliman.com

Jim Loughman
Director, Media Relations & Public Affairs
Milliman
Tel +1 203 698.0008
jim.loughman@milliman.com

Colorado Foundation for Medical Care Selects Milliman Care Guidelines^® to Improve Quality of Review Process

SEATTLE — May 24, 2005 — Milliman Care Guidelines, LLC, a Milliman Company, announced that the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC), the quality improvement organization (QIO) for the state of Colorado, has licensed — free of charge — the Milliman Care Guidelines^®. Specifically, CFMC will use Ambulatory Care, Inpatient and Surgical Care, General Recovery Guidelines, Long Term Acute Care Guidelines, Recovery Facility Care, and Home Care to manage its Medicaid and Medicare reviews.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) contract 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.

Last year, Milliman Care Guidelines announced a program that delivers its Care Guidelines to QIOs free of charge. The plan provides access to Milliman’s evidence-based clinical guidelines for reviews of Medicare and Medicaid contracts in any state in which QIOs hold contracts.

The Care Guidelines promote quality health care by providing healthcare professionals with access to current best practice derived from the current best evidence. Further, the Care Guidelines display the Quality Indicators approved by the National Quality Forum and CMS. Each inpatient guideline subject contains a set of key issues defined as those interventions that have the highest leverage in improving outcome.

“Our nurse reviewers prefer the Care Guidelines for ease of use and transition. The fact that the Care Guidelines are solidly evidence-based, best practice, and nationally known increases their satisfaction,” says Nancy Borgstadt, RN, MS, CNS Director, Review Services at CFMC. “CFMC believes that adding the Care Guidelines is an improvement to our current review process and allows us to incorporate a higher standard of practice into the process.”

The Care Guidelines are designed for prospective, concurrent, and retrospective review, meaning QIOs and hospitals can use them to determine appropriateness of admission and inpatient care. This not only assists with decision making for each setting, but also facilitates QIO reviews. The Care Guidelines enable more informed and consistent clinical care decisions and support the best possible care management. Due to the wide use of these same guidelines by commercial insurers and hospitals, a streamlined review process is easily attained.

“Milliman’s Care Guidelines meets CMS Hospital Quality Initiative - Core Measures,” reports Scott Harris, Marketing and Sales Director at Milliman Care Guidelines. “Access to evidence-based clinical tools that improve quality of care enables QIOs to effectively manage their review processes and quality initiatives. CFMC is one of a growing list of QIOs to take advantage of our offer and we expect several more to sign agreements before the end of 2005.”

About Colorado Foundation for Medical Care

Founded in 1970, the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC) has grown to be one of the most experienced and respected medical quality improvement organizations (QIOs) in the United States. CFMC, the official QIO for the state of Colorado since 1974, offers a variety of interrelated services to help its clients contain health care costs, improve quality of care, and assure that health care dollars are spent on medically necessary and appropriate services. The company's clients in the public and private sectors include the Medicaid and Medicare programs, hospitals, managed care organizations, insurance companies, academic institutions, and other QIOs.

About Milliman Care Guidelines

Milliman Care Guidelines, LLC located in Seattle, WA, is a Milliman Company and provides its Care Guidelines to many of the firm’s clients in the hospital and insurance industries. The Care Guidelines are evidence-based tools that guide care and improve care management across the continuum of care. They reflect current best practices for the actual working environment of today’s healthcare organizations. The Milliman Care Guidelines are used to support the health care of one in three Americans.

Milliman, whose corporate offices are in Seattle, serves the full spectrum of business, financial, government, and union organizations. Founded in 1947 as Milliman & Robertson, the company has 32 offices in the United States as well as offices in Bermuda, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Munich, São Paulo, Seoul, and Tokyo. Milliman employs approximately 1,850 people, including a professional staff of more than 850 qualified consultants and actuaries. The firm has consulting practices in employee benefits, healthcare, life insurance/financial services, and property and casualty insurance. It is a founding member of Milliman Global, an international organization of consulting firms serving insurance, employee benefits, and healthcare clients worldwide. For further information, visit www.milliman.com.