Insight offered by CHT Founder Newt Gingrich, SHPS CEO Rishabh Mehrotra, HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt and 11 state and federal Medicaid leaders

Washington, DC / Louisville, Ky. (February 20, 2007) – The newly released book, Making Medicaid Work: A Practical Guide for Transforming Medicaid, successfully tackles some of this decade’s most passionate and controversial healthcare issues, offering a platform for constructive and honest public debate.

A joint publication of SHPS and the Center for Health Transformation, the guide provides an innovative framework for transforming Medicaid into a 21st century intelligent system that provides high quality, coordinated care – at a lower cost.

In the book, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, founder of the Center for Health Transformation, and Rishabh Mehrotra, president and CEO of SHPS, propose a series of guiding principles as a framework for transforming Medicaid, calling for greater healthcare consumerism and care coordination, and the adoption of 21st century technology such as electronic health records and health risk scores. The creation of proper incentives to promote better health outcomes, the development of an integrated delivery system and the addition of social empowerment tools are essential to building a better Medicaid.

Making Medicaid Work features insight from government leaders, including Michael Leavitt, U.S. Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, who offers his perspectives on how to create an ideal Medicaid system: "Medicaid can be a proactive force in reforming healthcare overall – and that point is often overlooked in public policy discussions.”

Complimentary copies of the book are available by registering at www.shps.com/medicaid and www.healthtransformation.net.

"The creation of a 21st century intelligent Medicaid system that achieves better health outcomes at lower costs can be accomplished,” said Speaker Gingrich. "Policymakers must not be bound by the Medicaid we’ve inherited. Instead, if we want a system that provides the best health services for low-income Americans at a sustainable cost for taxpayers, we must embrace the most cutting-edge technologies and care coordination techniques, combined with the right incentives.”

Mehrotra points out that the current system constitutes well over 20 percent of the average state’s budget and is growing disproportionately to other spending priorities, such as education, law enforcement and transportation infrastructure.

“Spiraling costs for Medicaid impact every American,” said Mehrotra. “For all the money that has been spent, the care being administered under Medicaid today is extremely uncoordinated. The result is that individuals do not get the type of preventive care they need and instead end up sicker at high cost emergency rooms. We envision a program that actually creates value – one that drives better health outcomes and enables recipients to lead healthier, more independent lives. We are optimistic about the future of Medicaid, provided that policymakers take transformation seriously."

Additional insights from leaders in state and federal government articulate real-world applications and point to areas for transformation. Book contributors include Tom Scully, Former Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Mitch Roob, Indiana, Secretary, Family and Social Services Administration; Joshua Slen, Vermont, Director, Office of Vermont Health Access, Agency of Human Services; Leslie Clement, Idaho, Division of Medicaid Administrator, Department of Health and Welfare; Pamela Hyde, New Mexico, Secretary, Human Services Department; Michael Deily, Utah, Former Director, Division of Health Care Financing, Utah Department of Health; Mark D. Birdwhistell, Kentucky, Secretary, Cabinet for Health and Family Services; Carmen Hooker Odom, North Carolina, Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services; Rhonda Medows, Georgia, Commissioner, Department of Community Health; Robert M. Kerr, South Carolina, Director, South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; and Alan Levine, Florida, Former Secretary, Agency for Health Care Administration.

“We must move beyond simple policy changes and make fundamental shifts at every level within the Medicaid program,” says Mehrotra. “The result will be better health for recipients, at a cost that can be sustained.”

About Center for Health Transformation (CHT)
CHT is a collaboration of transformational leaders dedicated to the creation of a 21st century intelligent health system in which knowledge saves lives and saves money for all Americans. The Center’s membership is comprised of healthcare providers, government leaders, large employers, small businesses, research institutions, universities, professional and industry associations, solution providers, patient and disease advocacy groups and others. The Center for Health Transformation accelerates the adoption of transformational solutions and policies for better health and more choices at lower cost. Visit www.healthtransformation.net.

About SHPS
SHPS provides a broad range of innovative health management tools, resources and services that empower consumers to make wise healthcare decisions. With comprehensive services that transform consumer health behaviors, SHPS’ integrated delivery system maximizes the value of consumers’ and employers’ healthcare dollars. Among its many clients, SHPS serves large and mid-sized employers, health insurance carriers, third party administrators, Medicare Part D providers and government agencies. The company employs registered nurses and health professionals, employee benefit specialists and IT experts in facilities across the United States. Visit www.shps.com.

For More Information
Sarah Bovine
Director, Corporate Communications
sarah.bovine@shps.com

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