Press Release

Manasquan, N.J., USA, March 6, 2006 – Healthcare toolkits are a logical delivery vehicle for patient and member information, but the challenge of creating and evaluating effective toolkits still eludes many organizations. As the healthcare industry focus shifts to a consumer-driven world, the burden is on healthcare organizations to provide constituents the critical data they require to make informed decisions about their healthcare.

Two healthcare companies that have already won acclaim for their efforts in the healthcare toolkit arena will share their experiences during Designing, Implementing and Analyzing Effective Healthcare Toolkits, a May 10, 2006 audio conference sponsored by the Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN). Representatives of PacifiCare Behavioral Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, winners of the HIN 2005 Healthcare Toolkits Contest, will describe how their health education toolkits are impacting member's health status and eliciting behavior change. For more information, please visit the HIN bookstore.

Jon Beaty, corporate quality improvement manager at PacifiCare Behavioral Health and Shoma Pal, project leader, health policy and social mission with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, will provide inside details on how their organizations develop toolkits and the impact these toolkits have on the health status of their population.

Having noted an upswing in toolkit use throughout the healthcare industry, HIN Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Melanie Matthews launched the toolkits contest in 2005 and surveyed the online healthcare community on toolkits development and use. “HIN’s October 2005 survey found that developing a toolkit and then assessing is effectiveness are the greatest challenges organizations face when launching healthcare toolkits,” she said. “This audio conference will address the challenges of launching and evaluating toolkits from the perspectives of early adopters.”

During this 90-minute audio conference, presenters will also provide details on:

• Developing topics for toolkits;
• Conducting a gap analysis to identify needs and resources;
• Harnessing in-house knowledge, content and expertise;
• The build or buy decision;
• Selecting an effective medium for your audience; and
• Analyzing the effectiveness of toolkits.

Matthews predicts that healthcare toolkits will proliferate as the concept of consumer-driven healthcare—empowering and motivating consumers to take control of their health and healthcare—takes hold, and will soon announce the call for entries for HIN’s 2006 Healthcare Toolkits contest.

HIN's May 10, 2006 audio conference will illuminate the toolkit development and evaluation process for CEOs, medical directors, disease management directors, managers and coordinators, health plan executives, care management nurses, wellness professionals, quality improvement professionals, business development executives and strategic planning directors. The 90-minute audio conference format builds in 30 minutes dedicated to responding to participants’ questions.

For those who miss the live conference, an on-demand rebroadcast can be accessed beginning May 12, 2006, and a CD-ROM recording with printed transcript will be available in late May. To register and obtain details on audio conference formats, please visit: the HIN bookstore.

About the Healthcare Intelligence Network---HIN is the premier advisory service for executives seeking high-quality strategic information on the business of healthcare. For more information, contact the Healthcare Intelligence Network, PO Box 1442, Wall Township, NJ 07719-1442, (888) 446-3530, fax (732) 292-3073, e-mail info@hin.com, or visit http://www.hin.com.

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Contact: Patricia Donovan