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Bill McKinley
Vice President of Sales
Milliman Care Guidelines
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bill.mckinley@milliman.com

Interrater Reliability Tool Strengthened for Milliman Care Guidelines^® Users

Adds New and Upgraded Test Cases, Software Enhancements

SEATTLE -- Dec. 3, 2008 -- Healthcare organizations using the Milliman Care Guidelines Interrater Reliability Tool now receive up to 60 test cases a year for measuring interrater reliability and encouraging consistent use of the annually updated, evidence-based Care Guidelines.

The test cases assess reviewers' use of key Care Guidelines products. Cases are developed and distributed quarterly, according to Marlese Pinney, Milliman Care Guidelines's Vice President of Customer Service.

The Interrater Reliability Tool also has been enhanced to allow client administrators to manage and maintain their own course assignments without waiting for action from the Milliman Care Guidelines staff.

"While we still do the original set-up of new clients and groups on our Interrater Reliability Tool, clients now can add or change administrators and users, edit those profiles, and manage course assignments themselves," Pinney said. "They also have password-protected Web access to manuals, release notes and answer keys so they can preview test cases and select those that best suit their staff's use of the Care Guidelines," Pinney added.

The Interrater Reliability Tool helps Care Guidelines users meet care management goals by supporting URAC and NCQA requirements to document appropriate and consistent use of nationally recognized guidelines.

Using the always-available Web-based Interrater Reliability Tool, users review a realistic clinical history and treatment, then answer a series of multiple-choice questions to determine whether they have selected the proper guideline and have applied it correctly to move that patient through the care continuum. Test cases range from simple diagnoses to cases that are complex or comorbid.

The tool's automated grading and recordkeeping track test improvement over time, and give each user immediate feedback. Using test reports that identify staff members' inconsistent treatment and guideline choices, administrators can develop staff training to improve patient management and treatment consistency.

Test cases are available for the Ambulatory Care, Inpatient and Surgical Care and General Recovery Guidelines products using the Web software.

"Our Interrater Reliability Tool can help any user to gain the full power of the Care Guidelines," Pinney said.

Used by more than 1,000 health plans, hospitals, QIOs and other healthcare organizations, the Care Guidelines products 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.

The Care Guidelines are available in a variety of easy-to-use software options, From web-based applications, to interactive software producing real-time management reports, to handheld versions,

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 hospitals, providers and health plans. Covering the continuum of care, the seven-product Care Guidelines series is updated annually by an experienced team of clinicians. For more information, visit www.careguidelines.com.

About Milliman

Milliman is among the world's largest independent actuarial and consulting firms. Founded in Seattle in 1947 as Milliman & Robertson, the company 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 & casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services. Milliman serves the full spectrum of business, financial, government, union, education and nonprofit organizations. Milliman Care Guidelines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Milliman, Inc. For more information, visit www.milliman.com.