CareWise, Inc. wins new contracts for providing health counseling services.

SEATTLE--(BW HealthWire)--June 6, 1997--CareWise, Inc. (formerly EMC2), a national leader in health care consumer management and telephone nurse counseling, has recently won contracts with Great American Health Plan and Lutheran Physician Hospital Association.

Great American Health Plan, a new HMO based in San Diego, began providing the award-winning CareWise(R) telephone nurse counseling services to its 17,000 Medicaid members on May 1. Printed information describing CareWise services will be available to members in both English and Spanish. New members joining the plan, commercial as well as Medicaid, will have access to CareWise, Inc. services.

Lutheran Physician Hospital Organization, located in Mesa, Ariz., will begin providing the CareWise service on July 1 to part of its membership. A part of the Lutheran Healthcare Network, Lutheran PHO will use CareWise telephone counseling to augment the services of its 100 primary care physicians on after-hours, weekend and holiday calls. Initially serving 5,000 capitated members, the service will be extended to a total of 25,000 members over the next six months. The organization's goal is to reduce emergency room utilization and hospital days, especially among high-risk seniors who frequently wait too long before seeking medical care.

"These contracts demonstrate how we can tailor our services to meet specific client needs," said CareWise, Inc. Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Alliances Craig Russell. "Our flexibility in addressing patients', payors' and now providers' needs has made CareWise, Inc. a leader in health care consumer management and telephone nurse counseling."

CareWise, Inc. is a national provider of health care decision-support services that lower the cost of medical care while improving plan members health and satisfaction with their health plan. The company's call center alone serves more than 1.7 million people in the U.S., and more than 500,000 overseas through its international partner, Sanlam. Clients include United Airlines, Physicians Health Services, Inc., HMO Blue/Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the American Postal Workers' Union Health Plan, SelectCare and MDNY Healthcare. For more information, contact CareWise, Inc. at 800/927-9225 or visit the company's Web site at http://www.carewiseinc.com .

CONTACT: CareWise, Inc.

Craig S. Russell, 206/749-1861;

e-mail: [e-mail]

or

Hawkins & Company, Inc.

Shelly Cohen, 206/217-9700, ext. 223;

e-mail: [e-mail]