American Healthways Recognized On Capitol Hill As First Company To Receive NCQA Disease Management Accreditation.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

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At a Capitol Hill briefing with Rep. Nancy L. Johnson (R-Conn.) today, American Healthways (Nasdaq: AMHC) was acknowledged as the first recipient of NCQA certification for its disease management programs.

Also participating in the briefing were representatives from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the Disease Management Association of America (DMAA).

Interest in disease management as a potential solution for well-identified issues affecting the health care system and the delivery of health care services is growing among the nation's health care leaders. Rep. Johnson has championed the use of disease management, recently introducing a bill (H.R. 3584) to include disease management in the Medicare+Choice program.

"Disease management programs are at the heart of quality improvements in medicine," said Rep. Johnson. "We need a national process to set standards."

The NCQA certification gives health plans, and their customer employers, additional confidence that American Healthways' programs are quality-assured and crucial to an outcomes-driven approach to medical management. Additionally, integration of American Healthways' NCQA-accredited programs will facilitate health plans achieving their own quality accreditation.

"Receiving accreditation from the NCQA and support from Rep. Johnson helps put disease management on the national agenda and brings it to the forefront of key health care issues," said Matt Michela, senior vice president at American Healthways. "The market need for disease management services is vast and NCQA accreditation will serve as a valuable quality assurance guideline for health plans, employers and patients."

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. In order for the Company to utilize the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, investors are hereby cautioned that these statements may be affected by the important factors as described in the Company's reports on Form 10-K and 10-Q on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as by, among other factors, the Company's ability to implement the anticipated number of contracted lives within time frames contemplated by the Company and the ability to maintain the number of covered lives anticipated to be enrolled in the BCBSMN programs. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements

Nashville-based American Healthways (www.americanhealthways.com) is the nation's leading provider of specialized, comprehensive care enhancement services to hospitals, physicians and health plans. The company's programs are the only ones in the nation accredited by the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA). American Healthways operates diabetes management programs in nearly 80 hospitals nationwide. The Company also has contracts to provide disease and care management programs to health plans with members in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

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