MINNEAPOLIS, Sep 06, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fiserv Health, a business group of Fiserv Inc. (Nasdaq:FISV), has announced that one of its strategic allies, Patient Choice, was honored with one of the first Driving Value in Health Care Awards from The Leapfrog Group and the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH).

The inaugural award was given to Patient Choice, a business segment of Minnesota-based Medica, for its innovative incentive strategy to stimulate better health care decisions on the part of consumers. This has been a primary focus of the Patient Choice model since its launch nearly a decade ago and is consistent with Fiserv Health's consumer-driven philosophy. Fiserv Health has been an administrator for Patient Choice for the past five years, offering its unique tiered health care delivery network that ranks providers on cost and quality measures to self-funded employers. The program is available in Minnesota, and in areas of Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Leapfrog and NBCH have recognized Patient Choice's groundbreaking approach to value-based health care purchasing through the use of tiered networks. This approach shows Patient Choice actively engages and informs consumers, continuously spurs providers to improve quality and control cost and reduces cost trends for employers.

Most recent overall cost trends for the Patient Choice Care System program averaged 1.9 percent, well below the 9.6 percent average increase in health care costs nationally for 2005, according to data from Milliman's Medical Index 2006.

Award applications were scored on criteria that included transparency, the public reporting element of the applicant program; performance measurement composition, with standards endorsed by national measure-making organizations like the National Quality Forum; incentive or reward methodology, including both financial and non-financial rewards; target reach, including program awareness and active participation by those for whom the program is intended; and impact, which incorporates documented savings and quality improvement. Leapfrog and NBCH board members comprised the judging team.

"Patient Choice has worked for nearly a decade to create a true market based on value for purchasing of health care services," said Ann Robinow, Medica vice president and general manager of the Patient Choice business segment. "This recognition is combined with the growing trend among public and private health care purchasers to improve the ability of consumers to make value-based healthcare decisions, which will ultimately result in much needed improvements in cost and quality."

"Fiserv Health is pleased at this acknowledgment of Patient Choice's achievement. They have pioneered a successful alternative health care purchasing platform that creates informed health care consumers by enabling individuals to differentiate providers on cost and quality measures," said Fiserv Health group president Alfred Moore. "Fiserv Health offers self-funded employers a viable option to get technology, customization and network access. With Patient Choice, together we offer an approach that's truly market driven, where consumers can easily shop for value and providers compete for market share based on their performance. This award confirms both organizations success in designing solutions to the most complex health care challenges."

About Patient Choice

The Patient Choice program helps consumers better understand the wide variations that exist in the cost and quality of health care. Its pioneering approach enables consumers to gauge value and make informed choices about their health care, spurring health care professionals to compete on cost and quality and allowing employers to define and manage their health care costs. The program was acquired by Medica, a large regional health plan based in Minnesota, in March 2004.

About Fiserv Health

Fiserv Health provides a full array of integrated health plan management, claims processing and administration services for self-funded medical, dental, vision and disability plans. Fiserv Health is able to deliver the flexible service of a benefits administrator with the scale and financial stability of a carrier. Fiserv Health offers health plan management, pharmacy benefits management and business process outsourcing services to self-funded commercial and government employers and health plans. The Fiserv Health group also includes CareGain, a consumer-driven health plan software platform, Innoviant, a pharmacy benefits administrator; Avidyn Health, a care management company; ppoONE, a claim repricing and data management organization; JW Hutton, a subrogation and overpayment recovery organization; Third Party Solutions, a workers' compensation prescription company; P2P Link, offering electronic billing and payment between providers and payers in workers comp claims; and Fiserv Health Plan Management, which offers administration, management and consultation services for health plans. Find out more at www.fiservhealth.com.

About Fiserv Inc.

Fiserv Inc. (Nasdaq:FISV), a Fortune 500 company, provides information management systems and services to the financial and health benefits industries. Leading services include transaction processing, outsourcing, business process outsourcing, software and systems solutions. The company serves more than 17,000 clients worldwide and is the leading provider of core processing solutions for U.S. banks, credit unions and thrifts. Fiserv was ranked the largest provider of information technology services to the financial services industry worldwide in the 2005 and 2004 FinTech 100 surveys. Fiserv Health provides health plan management, pharmacy benefits management and BPO services to the managed care market and self-funded commercial and government employers and health plans. Headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., Fiserv reported more than $4 billion in total revenue for 2005. For more information, please visit www.fiserv.com.

SOURCE: Fiserv Health

Fiserv Health, Minneapolis
Fred Moore, 763-549-3384
or
Susan Ford-Hoffert, 715-841-6613
susan.ford-hoffert@fiservhealth.com
or
Roepke PR
Jessica Sachariason, 612-677-1717
Jessica@roepkepr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2006

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