First-of-its-kind population risk management tool generates Employer Health Index and Personal Health Index offering instant visibility into health risk and expenditures

Washington, DC / Louisville, Ky. (April 17, 2007) Accelerating the transformation of healthcare in America with innovative health advocacy and health benefits solutions, SHPS today unveiled its new health risk engine, a powerful tool that quantifies health risks and proactively monitors the drivers of those risks. It helps define and execute strategies to manage health risks and controls total healthcare spend for both employer plan sponsors and individual healthcare participants.

With the introduction of the SHPS health risk engine, for the first time self-funded employers have the tool they need to strategically manage the clinical risk they are insuring, states Rishabh Mehrotra, president and CEO of SHPS. We have raised the bar for the entire health management industry with a system that represents the future of healthcare.

The SHPS health risk engine was developed and tested with a select group of SHPS clients, including some of the nations largest and most sophisticated employers.

By using the health risk engine to actively manage and adjust their health strategy, SHPS' pilot clients have mitigated their healthcare cost increases considerably, adds Mehrotra.

A highly intuitive application, the SHPS health risk engine can be adjusted to account for unique characteristics of a companys employee population, allowing the employer to monitor the performance of multiple health plans, drill down to specific population health risks, determine appropriate levels of care and trigger clinical interventions. Armed with this information, companies can deploy programs that address key drivers of risks such as gaps in care, medication compliance and individual behavior.

The engines Employer Health Index provides objective metrics by which an employer can measure their health strategy and determine what plan design, incentives and clinical interventions have a positive impact on the health of their population, says Krishnan Sastry, SHPS executive vice president, strategic development and innovation. Without such measurement capabilities, health strategies and interventions tend to be highly generic and considerably less effective.

In addition to its considerable benefits for employers, the SHPS health risk engine is equally beneficial for educating and empowering individuals to manage their health. Its Personal Health Index assesses an individuals overall risk across multiple health conditions and provides insight into specific opportunities to mange those risks. The risk engine is fully integrated with SHPS health advocacy programs including disease management, case management and utilization management and provides specific recommendations to help improve an individuals overall health.

Two people can have identical Personal Health Indexes, but the underlying risk drivers and steps to improve their health may differ significantly, explains Sastry. By providing detailed decision support tools to individual consumers, we can ensure they are taking the right steps toward better health.

Mehrotra concludes, SHPS work with pilot clients has provided undeniable evidence that the SHPS health risk engine has considerable value to employers and healthcare consumers alike. We are pleased to offer it today to the broader self-insured marketplace, as we truly believe that it will help transform the delivery of healthcare and keep expenditures in check.

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

(Return to News Releases)