Louisville, Ky. (February 14, 2008) – SHPS, a leading provider of health advocacy and health benefits solutions, announced today that Chris Ryan, SHPS’ chief strategy and marketing officer, will present at the 2008 Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference in San Diego. The conference’s theme is “Maximizing ROI in Health Promotion: Improving Health, Reducing Costs” and will run March 5-8.

Ryan’s presentation, titled The Role of Wellness Programs in Decreasing – or Increasing – Health Costs: Analysis and Findings from the 2007 SHPS Health Practices Study, will focus on several key findings from the company’s health practices study. The study challenges many traditional benefits practices – including the assumption that standalone wellness promotion and education can reduce overall healthcare costs. SHPS’ study found that companies surveyed who use wellness promotion and education as their primary health strategy spend 16.9 percent more on healthcare. This same group of employers was also more likely to report that they had an effective health strategy, even though the cost data told a different story.

Ryan, the chief architect of SHPS’ 2007 study and noted author of several articles and books including, Making Consumerism Work: A Practical Guide to Transforming Healthcare (2006) and Making Medicaid Work: A Practical Guide to Transforming Medicaid (2007) will present at 2 p.m. PST on March 6 at the San Diego Convention Center.

About SHPS | Carewise Health
SHPS is a leading, independent provider of integrated health solutions that improve personal health and reduce spending. By integrating traditional health management and benefits administration services, SHPS delivers people-centric solutions that empower individuals to make wise healthcare choices. It serves large and mid-sized employers, government agencies, and third-party administrators through the company�s Carewise Health, Landacorp, and SHPS brands. Visit www.carewisehealth.com.

For More Information
LeAnn Ross
Director of Marketing
leann.ross@shps.com

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