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News release: Maryland/Virginia/Washington D.C.February 16, 2005 For more information, contact: Kaiser Permanente increases customer service and provider locations; adds new participating providing network Rockville, MD-Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is significantly expanding its Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice and Out-of-Area PPO Plan network through a partnership with Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS). PHCS replaces the current participating provider network adding additional customer satisfaction, efficient automated systems, and more provider locations. The PHCS Network offers Kaiser Permanente members access to nearly 450,000 providers and more than 4,000 facilities nationwide, including almost 45,000 provider locations in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. "The decision to switch to the PHCS Network was made in an effort to improve service and choice for our customers. Our flexible choice plan affords our members easy access to our Permanente Medical Group physicians as well as the opportunity to utilize the PHCS network of physicians if they choose," says Thomas A. Curtin, Jr., vice president of marketing, sales and business development. "PHCS is dedicated to the same goals that Kaiser Permanente is-quality health care and affordability. We like that they contract directly with their physicians and pay careful attention to care management as well as risk management," says Phillip S. Carney, Jr., MD president and medical director of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C. "This is a better choice for our Flexible Choice and Out-of-Area PPO Plan members. PHCS is easy to use, which means our members can spend their time getting medical care and moving on with life-thriving," states Marilyn Kawamura, president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. PHCS is the first and only national PPO to earn four endorsements of quality from two independent, nationally recognized quality assurance organizations, NCQA and URAC. Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice combines three health plan options in one, allowing members to choose among a HMO, PPO and traditional indemnity plan. Members can move freely among the three plan options whenever they choose. The Out-of-Area PPO plan is designed specifically for local employers who want to provide medical coverage for employees who live and work outside the Mid-Atlantic service area. Members of this plan have the flexibility to receive medical care from participating providers around the country or from any non-participating, licensed provider. For 19 years, Private Healthcare Systems has been meeting the network and medical management needs of customers across the country. Corporate headquarters are in Waltham, Massachusetts, with regional offices located throughout the United States. The largest national proprietary PPO, the PHCS Network includes nearly 450,000 providers and more than 4,000 facilities. PHCS is the first and only national PPO to earn four endorsements of quality from two independent, nationally recognized quality assurance organizations, NCQA and URAC. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. provides total health care to 500,000 people in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. With an "excellent" rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, Kaiser Permanente has 28 medical centers and 900 physicians helping patients to thrive throughout the region. Kaiser Permanente patients enjoy a wide range of specialty services including nationally recognized programs in cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes, and obesity. Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice is jointly underwritten by Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. and Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company. The Out-of-Area PPO Plan is underwritten by Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company.
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