Best-Selling Healthwise(R) Handbook Gets a Major Makeover; Self-Care Guide Gives People More of What They Need to Know.

BOISE, Idaho -- The Healthwise Handbook is one of the best-selling health books ever. More than 25 million copies have been distributed since 1975.

To remake a popular book with a successful history could be considered risky. When asked "why change a good thing?," Don Kemper, founder and CEO of Healthwise, replied, "It's now a better book that is easy to use and understand, saves money, and has a direct and personal window to the Web."

The Healthwise Handbook is now redesigned to keep pace with an ever-changing, expensive, and sometimes confusing, health care system. The purpose of this new edition of the Healthwise Handbook is to help people become healthier and smarter by:

--Helping people save money. No one wants health care they just don't need. Nor do they want to pay more for things they do need. The handbook helps readers work closely in partnership with their doctors and offers tips on ways to lower their health care costs.

--Never ending. No single book can cover everything, but when more information is needed, readers of the Healthwise Handbook can go to a free, easy URL and get exactly what they are looking for. "Go to Web" quick search codes, found throughout the book, make a precise connection from what's in the book to what's online in the Healthwise(R) Knowledgebase.

--Looking good. For the first time, the Healthwise Handbook is in full color. The detailed illustrations, new symptom charts, and bulleted lists are instructive and encourage people to take an active, informed role in their care.

--Being easy to understand. This beloved guide is now presented in plain, uncomplicated language. The book now has a readability score of 6th grade, and people of all levels of education will appreciate the clear and concise style. Shorter sentences, familiar words, and simple explanations of medical terms increase comprehension, particularly during times of stress and emergencies.

"The 17th edition of the Healthwise Handbook brings better health decisions home," says Kemper. "In today's consumer-directed health care environment, the Healthwise Handbook is a great resource for getting the best quality care at the best price."

The Healthwise Handbook was first published in 1975 to help people make better health decisions at home. The Healthwise Handbook has a proven track record of providing people with decision-focused, action-oriented information on more than 200 common health problems -- complete with the latest medical information about when to call a doctor, home treatment, tips on managing chronic disease, as well as topics on wellness and prevention.

About Healthwise

Healthwise is a nonprofit organization that has been helping people make better health decisions since 1975. More than 70 million times a year, people turn to Healthwise information for help in making health decisions. Healthwise works with hospitals, employers, clinics, and health plans to provide decision-support and self-management information to the people they serve. Healthwise is leading a major change in health care to prescribe information therapy to patients as part of every health care encounter. To learn more, visit www.healthwise.org or call 1-800-706-9646.