CHOICE Medical Management Services Expands Field Case Management Services; Three Credentialed and Specialized Field Case Managers Join CHOICE.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 12, 2004

CHOICE Medical Management Services, a leading Florida workers' compensation care management organization, has expanded its field case management services in Florida. "We have recently added three highly experienced and credentialed professionals as field case managers to meet the needs of our growing client base," said Jean Feldman, vice president of Care Management Operations for CHOICE. "Each one is a Florida state-certified Qualified Rehabilitation Provider (QRP). In addition to serving a geographic territory, each brings a particular specialty, which can be accessed by any of our Florida customers."

Janis Mann covers the Tampa Bay area and specializes in catastrophic cases. Most recently she was director of admissions for a Tampa-based facility serving the needs of people with acquired brain injuries, the Center for Comprehensive Services. She also worked for 14 years as a catastrophic case manager for FCCI Insurance Company in Sarasota. A former Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Nurse Corps, Mann is a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN), a Certified Case Manager (CCM) and a QRP. She holds a master's degree from Boston University in Stuttgart, Germany.

Based in Winter Park, Fla., Wayne Pless covers the greater Orlando area and specializes in vocational counseling and developing return to work programs for employers. A registered nurse who also holds a master's degree in counseling, Pless is a Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS), a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, a QRP, a CCM, and is Certified Ergonomics Evaluator eligible. Pless has more than 20 years' experience in disability management, ergonomic planning, and vocational counseling, most recently serving as a disability management consultant and vocational specialist for Medical Management and Re-Employment in Lakeland, Fla. He earned his master's degree in counseling psychology from Nova University in Fort Lauderdale and his bachelor's in nursing from Florida Southern College in Lakeland and took additional courses in chronic pain management, vocational rehabilitation, and ergonomic evaluation.

Alyson Casper joined CHOICE from the CorVel Corporation, where she was providing medical and vocational services as a case manager. With more than 20 years' experience as a vocational expert in workers' compensation and long term disability, Casper is based in Broward County and serves CHOICE's South Florida customers. Her specialty is vocational evaluation. Casper is a Certified Vocational Evaluator, a CDMS, a CCM, and QRP. An active member of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, she currently serves as its state training and education chair. Casper has published professional papers and made numerous presentations on vocational evaluation and return-to-work issues. She earned her Master of Health Science degree from the College of Health Related Professions, Department of Rehabilitative Counseling from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla.

Founded in Tampa, Fla. in 2001, CHOICE Medical Management Services is a full-service, fully integrated workers' compensation care management organization built upon proven cost-saving, return-to-work strategies that deliver tangible, measurable results. CHOICE serves insurance carriers, third-party administrators, municipalities, and large employers. For more information, contact Yvonne Halvaei, Marketing Manager at 813-282-9801 or [e-mail] or visit http://www.choicemedmgt.com.