Contact:
Scott Harris
Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Milliman Care Guidelines
Tel +1 206 381.8160
Cell +1 480 203.7268
scott.harris@milliman.com

Milliman Care Guidelines® Support Medicaid Quality Care Efforts

SEATTLE -- July. 8, 2008 -- The healthcare of one-fourth of all managed Medicaid recipients in the U.S. is being supported with clinical guidelines from Milliman Care Guidelines LLC, A Milliman Company.

Based on Milliman records and information from the 2007 Managed Medicare and Medicaid Factbook from Atlantic Information Systems, the Care Guidelines now are used in the care of more than 4.8 million of the approximately 19.3 million managed Medicaid recipients nationally.

Among the company’s more than 1,000 clients are managed Medicaid plans, state Medicaid agencies and Quality Improvement Organizations. These entities license the evidence-based Care Guidelines because they cover the issues confronted by those managing the healthcare of Medicaid populations.

Used by six of the country’s seven largest health plans, the annually updated Care Guidelines span the continuum of care, including behavioral health and management of chronic conditions. The seven-product Care Guidelines series defines treatments and procedures proven to be the most effective in medical care from general outpatient treatments, through hospitalization, recovery and rehabilitation. These guidelines are based on evidence from published scientific studies, including randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, as well as other published sources such as series with historical controls, and from data such as outcome reports from large practices, large database analyses, or expert practitioner reports.

The Care Guidelines are developed, produced and supported by healthcare professionals with extensive Medicaid experience, and address many issues clinicians face in Medicaid settings, including:

• Unique Needs of Mothers and Children – Included are prematurity guidelines, obstetrics, children with special needs, rehabilitation, and guidelines for common pediatric diseases.
• Chronic Guidelines and Patient Materials – Patient education needs, addressed by Milliman’s Chronic Care Guidelines, include patient information written at fourth-grade English and Spanish reading levels for those with conditions requiring extensive home- and self-care.
• Psychosocial Factors – Problems that many Medicaid recipients will encounter with meals, transportation, home care and chronic illnesses are addressed. Guidelines include tools to help patients with activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and home safety assessments.
• Behavioral Health – Issues faced by many recipients at the margins of society, such as anxiety, bipolar and depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and substance abuse, are included in the Behavioral Health Guidelines.
• Complex Cases – The General Recovery Guidelines are ideal for cases when there is no clear diagnosis, no specific guideline covering the diagnosis, or when the clinical situation is so complex that a specific guideline doesn’t fit. This is particularly helpful for recipients with comorbidities and complicating factors such as substance abuse, diabetes, asthma and malnutrition.
• Incorporated Quality Measures – The Care Guidelines support quality care through the incorporation of measures from three nationally recognized quality programs, including the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s HEDIS® Effectiveness of Care measures. Milliman’s interactive software enables tracking against state-specific measures and modified guidelines.
• Long Term Care – A variety of guidelines and tools within the Milliman suite of products provide evidence-based guidance to address the needs of patients who may require long term care.

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 a variety of software options that are used by more than 600 hospitals and to support the care of almost two-thirds of US health plan members. Covering the continuum of care, the seven-product Care Guidelines series is updated annually by an experienced team of clinicians, and includes Ambulatory Care, Inpatient and Surgical Care, General Recovery Guidelines, Recovery Facility Care, Home Care, Chronic Care Guidelines and Behavioral Health Guidelines. For more information, visit www.careguidelines.com.

About Milliman

Milliman Care Guidelines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Milliman, which serves the full spectrum of business, financial, government, and union organizations. Founded in 1947 as Milliman & Robertson, the company has 48 offices in principal cities in the United States and worldwide. Milliman employs more than 2,000 people, including a professional staff of more than 900 qualified consultants and actuaries. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, employee benefits, life insurance/financial services, and property & casualty insurance.For further information, visit www.milliman.com.