Center for Health Value Innovation Announces Strategic Health & Productivity Collaboration

Program to educate brokers and industry consultants and standardize tracking and
reporting metrics
ST. LOUIS--(Business Wire)--
The Center for Health Value Innovation (www.vbhealth.org), the nation`s premier
information exchange for value-based design, today announced an alignment with
the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM;
www.acoem.org) and the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI; www.ibiweb.org),
creating a powerful triumvirate to better articulate the value of health and
productivity management (HPM). Working together, these leading organizations
will create standardized data and result metrics for value-based HPM and launch
HPM Clinics designed to educate and inform insurance brokers and industry
consultants on the opportunities to enhance employer competitiveness and health
in the community, and concurrently bend cost trends.

"Now more than ever, we need to amplify the message that poor health adversely
impacts the physical and financial health of a community, and identify options
for improvement," says Cyndy Nayer, president and CEO of the Center. "We
anticipate that program participants will begin utilizing key value-based
strategies for designing healthcare programs, including HPM modeling and finely
honed measurement tools. As a result, compromised communities will begin to see
improved health and a reduction in health cost trends."

These organizational relationships further position the Center as a proving
ground for innovative thinking, providing all stakeholders in the health care
continuum a platform for fertilizing and implementing fresh ideas that advance
individual health and contain costs.

Nayer points to the synergies of these affiliations, noting that the ACOEM is
the preeminent organization of 5,000 physicians and other health care
professionals who specialize in the field of occupational and environmental
medicine and champion the health and safety of workers, workplaces and the
environment. In 2008, ACOEM launched its on-line HPM Toolkit which provides the
most comprehensive source of HPM materials including tutorials, data,
bibliographies and links to an extensive array of resources. ACOEM has been a
leader in the field of HPM since 1999.

"IBI completes the circle, providing employers and their supplier partners with
resources for proving the business value of health," adds Nayer. "The Institute
is also regarded as a pioneer, leader and nonprofit supplier of health and
productivity research, measurement and benchmarking, bringing to this
relationship a trusted source for benefits performance research and analysis,
and practical solutions."

According to Ronald Loeppke, M.D., a Fellow at ACOEM and Chair of IBI`s board of
directors, "The inroads made by the Center and IBI are aligned with ACOEM
members who are passionate about improving worker health through preventive
services, clinical care, research, and education. We look forward to developing
and implementing programs that are relevant to the practice of preventive
medicine both within and outside of the workplace."

Thomas Parry, president of IBI, adds, "We bring a well-developed research agenda
into this strategic alliance, with an eye toward improving health-related
productivity by improving health and measuring results. This partnership
advances our dedication to leading businesses from concept to reality in
integrating health, absence and disability management as an investment in a
productive workforce and corporate America`s bottom line."

About The Center for Health Value Innovation

Information Exchange for Value-Based Design

The Center for Health Value Innovation has grown into the nation`s premier
organization dedicated to sharing the evidence of improved health and economic
outcomes through value-based designs for sustainable health and financial
improvement.

www.vbhealth.org

About the American College Of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

The American College Of Occupational and Environmental Medicine is an
organization of occupational and environmental physicians, to promote and
protect the health of workers through preventive services, clinical care,
research, and educational programs. www.acoem.org

About the Integrated Benefits Institute

The Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) programs include benefits performance
research and analysis, measurement, practical solutions, and forums for
information and education. Since 1995, IBI`s programs and resources have
advanced understanding about the link between-and the impact of-health-related
productivity on corporate America`s bottom line. http://www.ibiweb.org

CPR for The Center for Health Value Innovation
Jim Stroh, 201-641-1911 x18
jstroh@cpronline.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009