American Health Holding to Provide Utilization Management to Employee Benefit Claims of Wisconsin.

Business Editors, Health & Medical Writers

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BW HealthWire)--May 30, 2001

American Health Holding, Inc., a dual URAC accredited, national medical management firm, announced that they will provide Utilization Management services from the offices of Employee Benefit Claims of Wisconsin, Inc. (EBC), a Safeco Insurance Company-owned Third Party Administrator with five offices in Wisconsin, Ohio and Kentucky.

Through this strategic partnership, EBC's national sales staff will sell a medical management product that includes Demand Management, Disease Management and Outpatient Precertification, as well as an i-Suite of medical management products. From a marketplace perspective, joining forces with American Health, a leader in medical management, bolsters EBC's already strong product mix.

The ability to access medical management on the Internet was key to EBC's decision to partner with American Health: "Our short-range strategy is to integrate American Health's Internet products into our provider, member and payor portals," said Bruce Flunker, EBC's President.

"We enjoy bringing American Health's array of medical management products onto the client's site," stated Ann Lawson, Field Director for American Health Holding. "Being able to combine the specialized expertise of American Health's services with the client's unique strengths and capabilities is extremely satisfying."

Founded in 1971, EBC earned a reputation for designing flexible employee benefit packages not found in the fully insured market. As part of Safeco Insurance, one of the largest reinsurers of stop-loss coverage in the United States, EBC's primary goal is to provide quality services in a cost-effective environment. Advanced technology and strong customer focus have made EBC a leader in the TPA business.

American Health Holding is positioned as a leader in the medical management arena. With the addition of EBC, American Health now provides medical management services from regional offices in 11 cities nationwide:

-- Westerville, Ohio (headquarters)   -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
-- Carthage, Missouri                 -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
-- Columbus, Georgia                  -- Seattle, Washington
-- Columbus, Ohio                     -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
-- Indianapolis, Indiana (two sites)  -- Offices slated for 2001
-- Little Rock, Arkansas (two sites)     implementation include
-- Bentonville, Arkansas                 Baltimore, Maryland; Orlando,
                                         Florida; Charlottesville,
                                         Virginia and Memphis,
                                         Tennessee

American Health's innovative suite of Internet medical management products includes:

i-PRECERTIFICATION. American Health's i-Precertification product enables providers to determine medical necessity and authorize patients for in- and outpatient admissions in a secure environment, 24 x 7.

i-OUT OF NETWORK REPRICING. American Health's i-Repricing product provides immediate savings and immediate turnaround on claims, without the hassle of faxing, mailing or double entry of claims.

i-DISEASE MANAGEMENT. Members can access disease-specific websites for information and support, allowing them to become partners in their care, reducing medical costs, minimizing time lost from work, and improving their quality of life.

i-REFERRAL AUTHORIZATION. With the primary care physician positioned as a gatekeeper, American Health's i-Referral Authorization program performs authorization for specialist referrals, in-network steerage and physician profiling.

i-CASE MANAGEMENT. i-Case Management places the knowledge and experience of our expert Case Managers in the hands of clients, members and physicians.

i-DEMAND MANAGEMENT. i-Demand Management provides members with the convenience of 24 x 7 access to an 1,100 topic health library and steerage to in-network providers and community resources.

To learn more about American Health, please visit the website:

www.AmericanHealthHolding.com