For Immediate Release

Contact:
Scott Harris
Milliman Care Guidelines
+1 206 381.8160

James S. Loughman
Donley Communications
+1 212 751.6126

URAC and Milliman Care Guidelines to Host Patient Safety Web-conference

SEATTLE, WA September 15, 2004 - Milliman Care Guidelines, a division of Milliman - and URAC have jointly announced a September 15 web-conference entitled “Maximizing Patient Safety Features of Milliman Care Guidelines.”

Driven by multiple regulatory and industry forces, health plans, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations are making patient safety one of their highest-priority initiatives. Improving patient safety has specific implications for utilization and case management activities.

This web-conference will discuss how many of the current patient safety key measures relate to utilization and case management roles and functions. It will show how the Milliman Care Guidelines^® Inpatient and Surgical Care product can be used to help identify opportunities to improve patient safety and quality and to intervene on an individual (case) and aggregate basis. The web-conference will feature case study examples and will incorporate practical methods for application and performance improvement.

Featured speakers include experts from both the URAC and Milliman Care Guidelines organizations:

Sherrie Dulworth RN, CPHRM is a Principal and Healthcare Management Consultant in the New York office of Milliman. She works with healthcare payers and providers to develop effective medical management, operations, and marketing strategies. Sherrie has over 20 years of experience in the managed care market.

Annabaker Garber, PhD, RN is the Clinical Application Educator and developer of training materials and programs for Milliman Care Guidelines. Most recently, Annabaker was the Associate Editor for their Recovery Facility Care and Home Care products.

Liza Greenberg, RN, MPH, is Health Project and Management Consultant at URAC. Ms. Greenberg’s responsibilities include development of new research initiatives on performance measurement and health outcomes for managed care plans. Her areas of expertise include medical management, disease management, preferred provider organizations, patient safety, and performance measurement.

James M. Schibanoff, MD is the Editor-in-Chief at Milliman Care Guidelines. His primary responsibilities include supervision of the editorial and peer review process of the Care Guidelines, analysis of the Care Guidelines evidence base, appointment and coordination of expert clinician panels, planning new guidelines, and revising existing guidelines.

This web-conference is a live presentation and demonstration delivered via both the Internet and telephone with an interactive question and answer period. Participation in the web-conference requires advance registration online at http://webapps.urac.org/ed_reg/Event_Group.asp?groupid=15 and a fee of $75 per person. Upon registering online for the web-conference, the attendee receives a confirmation letter via email with a username and password to access their online user account. This account will provide the attendee with instructions on how to access the web-conference.

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting healthcare quality through its accreditation and certification programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the healthcare system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire healthcare industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

About Milliman Care Guidelines

Milliman Care Guidelines, located in Seattle, WA, is a division of Milliman 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 healthcare 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, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Tokyo. Milliman employs approximately 1,800 people, including a professional staff of more than 800 qualified consultants and actuaries. The firm has consulting practices in employee benefits, healthcare, life insurance/financial services, and property & 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.careguidelines.com or call 888 464.4746.