American Specialty Health Introduces Healthyroads for Living Education Program.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 25, 2003

Good health isn't just a matter of luck.

It's also the product of good habits, intelligent decisions and hard work logged over the course of a lifetime.

To support individuals committed to this effort, American Specialty Health Inc., through its subsidiary Healthyroads Inc., has introduced an integrated health education program, "Healthyroads for Living," to help members take better care of themselves by achieving and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits. It is available as a core program, group supplemental program rider or individual voluntary program. Several health plans and employers representing more than 100,000 members began to offer the program when it was launched this year.

The Healthyroads for Living program focuses on nutrition, exercise, weight management, tobacco cessation and disease prevention. Recognizing that it takes a great deal of personal effort and commitment to change to healthier habits, Healthyroads for Living supports members in three key ways. First, it offers the expertise of Healthyroads educators, including trained registered dietitians, registered nurses, certified personal trainers and others to provide information, support and motivation in their specific areas of expertise. Second, it offers a wide range of educational resources, including more than 80 proprietary, specialized guidebooks and multimedia modules for specific goals and health conditions. Third, it offers interactive Web tools to help members track their personal progress as well as general health care educational resources on its Web site, www.healthyroads.com.

Unique in its balanced approach to better health, there are six levels of Healthyroads for Living programs that members may purchase directly, each designed to meet different needs and budgets. A supplemental group program rider for employer groups is also available at varying fees per telephone session for the member with varying annual limits.

"Healthyroads for Living is about more than a one-size-fits-all approach to health. A simplistic, cookie-cutter approach to these lifestyle changes is not adequate. By offering a broad range of resources, products and services that empower people to make sound choices, Healthyroads for Living provides the tools and customization many members may need to chart a healthier, happier and potentially longer life," said George DeVries, chairman and chief executive officer of American Specialty Health. "It is a proven fact that better habits can dramatically improve one's quality of life. For instance, Dr. Walt Willet, in his book Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, said that 80 percent of heart disease and strokes and 70 percent of most cancers are preventable through a healthier lifestyle, such as maintaining a normal weight, eating a healthy diet, exercising routinely, not smoking, and consuming alcohol in moderation," DeVries said.

Components of the Healthyroads for Living program include:

Nutrition Services - Registered dietitians and other Healthyroads educators help members establish a dietary plan, educate them on their nutritional choices, and help them focus on specific weight loss or maintenance. Proprietary, specialized nutrition guidebooks and Web-based tracking systems are also part of the program.

Exercise Services - Certified personal trainers and other Healthyroads educators help members establish a daily exercise plan, develop exercises focused on specific conditions, or develop an exercise routine designed to lose weight. Proprietary, specialized exercise guidebooks and Web-based tracking systems are also part of the program.

Tobacco Cessation - Trained Healthyroads educators who understand the physical and psychological challenges of quitting are available for telephone sessions to help members avoid many of the potential pitfalls of the process, such as weight gain. Proprietary, tobacco cessation guidebooks are also available. At Healthyroads.com, members can track their progress to keep motivated and focused on their goals. Products to help members quit smoking, such as nicotine patches and nicotine gum are also available for purchase at a discount.

Weight Management - Healthyroads for Living offers a weight management program that incorporates all of the Healthyroads for Living components, including nutrition and exercise services. It offers telephone consultations with Healthyroads educators, as well as educational guidebooks on weight management. At the password-protected Healthyroads for Living section of the Healthyroads Web site, members can track their weight, body measurements, Body Mass Index (BMI), daily food intake, daily exercise and other metrics, as well as obtain personal progress reports. Books on weight loss and other health products are available for purchase at a discount.

Disease Prevention - Healthyroads educators help members establish disease prevention programs that focus on setting long-range dietary, exercise and lifestyle changes. These types of changes have been shown by clinical research to reduce the incidence of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic disease. Members have access to a proprietary educational guidebook on disease prevention, which includes sections on nutrition, exercise, weight management and tobacco cessation.

There are four unique features of the Healthyroads for Living program:

1. Focus on integrated approach - All Healthyroads educators work as part of an integrated team to support the members' needs for positive change. For example, the tobacco cessation educator may set up educational sessions for the member with an exercise educator if they identify the member wants to start an exercise program. The member will not be referred to a different program.

2. Focus on member accountability - The Healthyroads for Living program is designed to empower members to make positive changes and then to maintain those changes over time. For example, the weight management program does not offer pre-purchased meals but rather education on how members should make better nutritional choices in restaurants, grocery stores and their own kitchens.

3. Focus on clinical reliability - The educational programs are based upon clinical research on nutrition, exercise, weight management, disease prevention and tobacco cessation. For example, the tobacco cessation program is based on proven telephone counseling interventions.

4. Focus on mindbody skills - Mindbody skills have been shown to provide motivation for members seeking positive changes. Healthyroads has contracted with experts such as Kenneth P. Pelletier, Ph.D., M.D., best selling author and professor at the University of Arizona and Maryland Medical Schools, to author the proprietary mindbody skills modules for their program. These modules are proprietary and will not appear for sale outside Healthyroads.

Employers who are interested in offering the Healthyroads For Living group program rider to their employees may call toll free 800/848-3555. For more information on the Healthyroads for Living voluntary program, consumers may call toll-free 877/330-2746.

American Specialty Health Inc. (ASH) and its subsidiaries are the nation's leading specialty benefits organization for complementary health care. Based in San Diego, ASH covers more than 16 million members in nationwide benefit programs. ASH and its subsidiaries have been awarded full accreditation by the American Accreditation HealthCare Commmission/URAC for its chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy, dietetics and naturopathy programs. In addition, ASH has been awarded URAC Health Web Site Accreditation for healthyroads.com, ASHplans.com and ASHnetworks for quality and accountability in online health information.