Collaborative program between Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States and Eliza Corporation named finalist in URAC's Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards.

"Thrive Healthy Living" program will be among distinguished award winners at Best Practices Conference & Exhibit, April 1-2, 2009

WASHINGTON -- URAC, a leading independent accrediting organization, has announced that a distinguished panel of judges selected a collaboration between Eliza Corporation and Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States (KPMAS) as one of 23 finalists in its Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards competition. The competition drew entries from across the nation. The finalists will be honored during the 2009 Best Practices Conference & Exhibit, April 1-2, 2009 in Orlando, Fla.

Finalists are invited to present their winning programs at the Best Practices Conference & Exhibit and URAC educational events throughout the year. Presentations will showcase best practices in two categories: consumer decision-making and consumer health improvement.

In partnership with Eliza Corporation, KPMAS designed a "Thrive Healthy Living" program to increase participation in lifestyle management programs, including the HealthMedia[R] Breathe(TM) smoking cessation program, HealthMedia[R] Balance(TM)weight management program, and HealthMedia[R] Relax(TM) stress management program. The outreach included Eliza's interactive, automated phone calls that engaged members in conversation about healthy living and pointed them to multimedia support tools. Call content was tailored according to population segmentation strategies as appropriate with the goal of establishing a personally relevant, ongoing dialogue around wellness and prevention.

As a result of the outreach, member participation in weight management and stress management programs more than doubled, and participation in smoking cessation programs increased four-fold.

"The Best Practices Awards and Conference provide a unique opportunity for leaders in health care management to learn what premier companies are doing to advance consumer protection and empowerment," said Alan Spielman, URAC's president and CEO. "It is a one-of-a kind conference, designed to inspire the industry as a whole to rapidly adopt proven practices that advance patient safety and empower consumers with improved decision-making tools."

Entries were judged by a distinguished panel of judges, chaired by epidemiologist Thomas W. Wilson, Ph.D, DrPH, Trajectory HealthCare, LLC. The 30-member panel included the best and most widely recognized experts in program evaluation, care coordination, health information technology, employer and purchaser decision making and patient safety. Entries were reviewed and scored by the judges based on objective criteria.

"At Kaiser Permanente, we're committed to making lives better," says Amy Compton-Phillips, MD, Physician Director, Population Care Management at KPMAS. "Helping people succeed in living a healthy life certainly contributes to this goal, and doing so in such a convenient way makes it possible for people in our increasingly busy, stressful world to make time for their own health. We're thrilled to assist many on the road to healthier living."

"It's an honor to be recognized by URAC for the truly innovative work that KPMAS has developed with us - all with the goal of helping its members lead healthier, happier lives," says Alexandra Drane, President and co-founder of Eliza Corporation. "The beauty of the URAC-nominated Thrive Healthy Living program is that it not only has proven to increase participation in the lifestyle management programs that KP offers its members - it also ties in perfectly with Kaiser Permanente's successful Thrive campaign, which is all about making health and wellness an attractive, accessible goal."

All finalists are invited to attend a black tie dinner event during the conference, when they will discover how they will be distinguished as award winners. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention Award winners in each of the four organization categories will be announced at the dinner. Platinum Award winners will also be announced, in the two topic categories.

For a complete list of judges, go to http://www.urac.org/bestpractices/websitejudges.asp.

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation and certification programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente, founded in 1945, is the nation's largest not-for-profit health plan, serving 8.7 million members, with headquarters in Oakland, Calif. Through this integrated health care organization, physicians, nurses and staff work in collaboration to provide high-quality care to its members and to address the health care needs of its communities. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is a total health organization serving approximately 500,000 people in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Kaiser Permanente is composed of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., an independent medical group that features more than 900 physicians who provide or arrange care for patients in our community.

About Eliza Corporation

Eliza Corporation is The Engagement Company. Every day, our tailored interactions - including automated phone calls - connect millions of people with timely, personally relevant information that drives healthier behavior. Each Eliza program is powered by our patented speech recognition technology, rich web and multi-media delivery platform, proven communications methodologies, and sophisticated data analytics. Our integrated communication strategies consistently yield the best outcomes in the industry in terms of improved engagement, health and wellness measures, and financial savings.

Eliza's clients include the nation's leading health plans, disease management firms, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy benefit managers, and employers. The results of our programs have been recognized by organizations including the Centers for Prevention and Disease Control, the BlueCross BlueShield Association, The Consumer Directed Health Care Congress, and Harvard Medical School. For more information, please visit www.elizacorp.com or call 978-921-2700.