INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 4, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- MDwise, Inc. announced today that its bid, along with IU Health Plan, Inc., was selected for contract negotiations to provide managed care services for the Hoosier Healthwise program on a statewide basis. Hoosier Healthwise is the State's health coverage program for low-income families and children. The new contract with Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) runs from 2007-2010, starting Jan. 1, 2007.
Charlotte A. MacBeth, President of MDwise, said that the procurement process was highly competitive and "MDwise is pleased to expand our provider-focused approach statewide." She added, "MDwise will use this growth opportunity to promote innovation in Medicaid managed care and continue our mission-driven focus on families and communities." MDwise maintains its high commitment to communities through ongoing local and statewide involvement as a Hoosier Healthwise resource, both at the legislative and regulatory levels, as well as the grassroots level.
Under the new contract, MDwise will expand far beyond its current service areas of Central and Northwest Indiana to provide quality care for Hoosier Healthwise families and children across all regions in the State. Critical to MDwise's winning bid were the vast commitments from providers interested in working with the Indiana-based, provider-sponsored, not-for-profit managed care organization. MDwise procured letters of intent from providers in every region of the State, including hundreds of primary care doctors, thousands of specialists and behavioral health providers, and nearly 100 hospitals.
MDwise utilizes a fully integrated, geographically accessible network of hospitals, community health centers, physicians, behavioral health providers and ancillary providers to provide care to Hoosier Healthwise members. MDwise focuses exclusively on Hoosier Healthwise recipients, and is the only non-profit Medicaid health plan headquartered in the State.
Emphasizing several unique initiatives in its statewide approach, MDwise will expand its current philosophy of using provider input in the programs and activities of the organization. An example of these programs is the "Reach Out For Quality" initiative that rewards providers for successful clinical outcomes like increased childhood immunization rates or improved prenatal care. In addition, MDwise intends to roll out several new educational and outreach programs that will complement provider efforts to improve health outcomes.
MDwise is a not-for-profit corporation, created by hospitals, which began its operation in 1994. Today, MDwise provides Hoosier Healthwise services to approximately 122,000 members in partnership with approximately 440 primary medical providers and 2,800 specialists. The MDwise corporate members are the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County (Wishard Memorial Hospital) and Clarian Health Partners (Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children). MDwise uses a delivery system model of managed care to provide a coordinated, comprehensive approach to improving clinical outcomes and managing the cost and utilization of health care services. Current delivery systems include Methodist (Clarian), Wishard, St. Francis, Community (ProHealth), and St. Vincent (all in Central Indiana), as well as two Northwest Indiana systems -- St. Catherine and Saint Margaret Mercy. MDwise will soon add two new delivery systems -- Select Health Network based in South Bend, Ind.; and Hoosier Alliance, an AmeriHealth Mercy company that will operate as a statewide delivery system. For more information about MDwise, visit www.mdwise.org.