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WellPoint is currently partnering with CareNex to expand its affiliatedhealth plans' Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) Services program for members inthose plans in Virginia and New York, and will expand the program to itshealth plans in Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado and Northern California later in2008. The program with CareNex is already in place for commercial members ofWellPoint's affiliated health plans in Southern California, Nevada and Ohio.
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Approximately eight to ten percent of all births are premature, and nearlyforty percent of high-dollar health care claims are related to NICU care andpreterm births. Expansion of the NICU Services program is designed to helpimprove clinical quality and facilitation of services for patients in theNICU, and prepare families for their infant's transition to home. Workingcollaboratively with attending physicians and nurses, CareNex collectsdetailed clinical information to create comprehensive patient profiles toassist with on-site care management, nurse review and discharge planning forthe infant members of WellPoint's affiliated health plans.
"Through this program, our goal is to work with the skilled doctors andnurses in the hospital to help arrange the best care for infants in the NICUby continually monitoring how these patients are cared for, supporting thefamily, and educating parents about their infant's condition to promote moreinformed decision making," said Bob McIntire, senior vice president of healthcare management for WellPoint. "CareNex is a valued partner in this processbecause they work closely with health care providers and the patient's familyto better meet their needs."
About WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint, Inc. is the largest health benefits company in terms of medicalmembership in the United States. WellPoint is an independent licensee of theBlue Cross and Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the BlueCross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee forColorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (asEmpire Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan and surroundingcounties and as Empire Blue Cross or Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in selectedupstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the city of Fairfax, thetown of Vienna and the area east of State Route 123.), Wisconsin; and throughUniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available atwww.wellpoint.com .
SOURCE WellPoint, Inc.
