LOS ANGELES, Jan. 28, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT) today announced that MHN, its behavioral health care subsidiary, received two-year Health Utilization Management accreditation for its managed behavioral health care program by URAC -- the independent non-profit organization established to set standards for the health care industry.
All major MHN service centers received the URAC accreditation. MHN's operations first received accreditation in 1996 and have secured re-accreditation status each subsequent review period.
"The quality of care delivered to our members is our highest priority," said MHN vice president of Quality Management Deirdre Hiatt, Ph.D. "We are pleased that URAC has re-accredited MHN because it underscores that commitment."
URAC is a leader in the accreditation of health and managed care organizations. Founded in 1990, its mission is to promote continuous improvement in the quality and efficiency of health care delivery by achieving a common understanding of excellence among purchasers, providers and patients through the establishment of standards, programs of education and communication, and a process of accreditation.
URAC president and chief executive officer Garry Carneal said, "By applying for and receiving URAC accreditation, MHN has demonstrated a commitment to quality health care. Quality health care is crucial to our nation's welfare and it is important to have organizations that are willing to measure themselves against national standards."
MHN (formerly known as Managed Health Network, Inc.) is headquartered in San Rafael, Calif., and employs approximately 1,000 associates in regional and branch offices from coast to coast. In addition to the San Rafael corporate office, MHN also operates full-service clinical intake offices in Huntington Beach, Calif.; New York; Dallas; and Milwaukee, Wis. MHN is a national provider of managed behavioral health benefits and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services. Since 1974, it has grown into one of the nation's leading managed mental health and employee assistance program administrators, with over $250 million in annual revenues.
MHN provides employers and employees EAP and behavioral health care solutions, including chemical dependency treatment and disease and disability management. The services are delivered to nearly 8 million individuals via face-to-face counseling, telephone support, critical incident stress debriefings and a full suite of online resources. MHN is one of the nation's largest administrators of comprehensive EAP and behavioral health care benefits. The services of MHN are provided to nearly 600 private and public sector client organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, health plans and insurers, and are supported by a nationwide network of 32,000 licensed treatment providers and 1,235 hospitals and care facilities.
MHN is a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc., one of the nation's largest publicly traded managed health care companies. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. The company's HMO, insured PPO and government contracts subsidiaries provide health benefits to approximately 5.3 million individuals in 15 states through group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE programs. Health Net's subsidiaries also offer managed health care products related to behavioral health, dental, vision and prescription drugs, and offer managed health care product coordination for multi-region employers and administrative services for medical groups and self-funded benefits programs.
For more information on Health Net, Inc., please visit the company's Web site at www.health.net.