Blue Cross of California Selects ParadigmHealth for Neonatal Care Management Services; New Onsite Program Helps Babies and Their Families During Crucial Time.

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J. -- ParadigmHealth, the leading provider of care management services for infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), today announced a new 3 year agreement together with Blue Cross of California (Blue Cross), the California operating subsidiary of WellPoint Health Networks Inc., to provide Neonatal Care Management services to the plan's PPO and HMO members. The program leverages the expertise of ParadigmHealth's board-certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse care managers and nationally recognized pediatric specialists; Baby Steps(C) family education materials; and extensive clinical and financial database to promote superior medical outcomes and provide financial savings. ParadigmHealth began providing neonatal care management services to Blue Cross members on February 8th.

Under the agreement, ParadigmHealth's neonatologists, nurse care managers and pediatric specialists will work closely with Blue Cross members, nurses and attending physicians to promote superior medical outcomes for premature and medically complex infants in NICUs and special care nurseries. As part of ParadigmHealth's integrated approach, each infant and his or her family is assigned a dedicated nurse manager who works in collaboration with physicians and nurses to support, educate and empower parents/caregivers throughout the infant's hospital stay and until two weeks after the infant's discharge home. The company has managed over 73,000 infants for health plan, employer and Medicaid clients nationwide.

"Our individualized NICU services clearly support WellPoint's Core Values of putting the customer first and leading through innovation," says John Penrose, CEO of ParadigmHealth. "We look forward to working with Blue Cross to utilize our clinical expertise to assist providers with achieving superior medical and psychosocial outcomes for Blue Cross members."

Dr. Steve Gwiazdowski, CMO of ParadigmHealth's NICU Division, adds, "Our clinical team looks forward to collaborating with Blue Cross and their network physicians to provide a state-of-the-art NICU care management program which will promote the best possible outcomes for newborns and their families."

About ParadigmHealth

ParadigmHealth is a leading provider of care and disease management services for intensive and clinically complex patients. The company improves the lives of patients and families by utilizing their Systematic Care Management (SM) process and focuses on the identification, risk stratification, triage and onsite management of the highest cost and most clinically complex medical events. Visit www.paradigmhealth.com.