Bill Behnke Departs WebVMC for New Start-Up Opportunities.

SAN ANTONIO -- Bill Behnke, Chief Development Officer of telehealth provider WebVMC, has announced that he is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities with other start-up companies in the healthcare space.

Behnke is known as a driving force in the healthcare community, often speaking out on behalf of healthcare advocates. On October 1, he will be part of a presentation to the United States Senate Sub-Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension on the positive effects of technology on health outcomes in rural populations. Behnke also spoke recently at the prestigious Telecare 2007 conference in Birmingham, England, where he was the only American invited to address the integrated health, housing and social care professional audience.

Bonnie Britton, COO/DON of North Carolina's Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center, worked with Behnke to utilize WebVMC's telemonitoring technology in its pilot "Patient Provider Community Telehealth Network." The program was endorsed by the state's Lieutenant Governor, Beverly Perdue, who considers it a model for community-based telehealth initiatives.

"Bill Behnke was definitely a key factor in the success of our community telehealth program," said Britton. "His knowledge, persistence, responsiveness and innovative thinking about the industry combined with his business development skills, make him a tremendous asset for any healthcare company, particularly start-ups."

Behnke has an impressive track record of working with start-up companies, having brought seven of them to profitability during his tenure. While at WebVMC, he increased the company's client base from a few accounts to almost 60 customers in 22 states.

Prior to joining WebVMC in the summer of 2005, Behnke spent seven years with Cogent Healthcare, a provider of inpatient management programs for hospitals. While there, he took Cogent from the start-up stage to a national, profitable company by directing the company's business development throughout the United States. His efforts resulted in expanding Cogent into 19 markets and adding some of the nation's most esteemed hospitals as clients.

"Bill was more of a partner than a vendor when we were developing a telehealth program for a large Southern California hospital system," said Mary Brendel, Administrative Director for Sharp Home Care, a division of Sharp HealthCare in San Diego. "He really made a difference when we started the pilot program. During demos to key decision makers at the hospital, his intuitive sense of what each party needed and how to respond to them was very impressive. I would work with him again in a heartbeat."

After a decade of experience, Behnke is excited to be at the forefront of the healthcare frontier. He says he is ready to ride -- or create -- the next wave of technology innovation.

"Technology can absolutely reduce hospital readmissions and unnecessary ER visits as well as generate savings for providers," said Behnke. "It's perfectly positioned to capture today's mobile patients. I love being part of the industry that is driving the future of virtual medical care."

Behnke can be reached at 210-240-9400, or email him at [e-mail].