Doctors Find It Easier to Do Business with Humana Than Any Other Insurance Company, Study Shows

The "PayerView Index" includes seven criteria, such as how quicklyan insurer pays, number of claims paid on first submission, denialrate, the number of phone calls required to a resolve an issue and thenumber of claims that are simply lost. Athenahealth describes theindex as measuring, overall, whether an insurance company is "easy todo business with."

The index's creators reviewed more than 5 million lines of datafrom the fourth quarter of 2005 to draw their conclusions.

Once the numbers were analyzed, Humana was the top performer witha total index score of 93 percent. Humana ranked highest in the "Daysin Accounts Receivable" category, which is essentially a measurementof how quickly an insurer pays claims. Humana also was lauded formisplacing fewer claims than its competitors.

Medicare Part B was second overall at 92.1 percent.

The results are being published in the June issue of Physician'sPractice. They also can be found on the Web atwww.athenaPayerView.com.

"Humana is committed to becoming the best payer with which to dobusiness. The Athena data results confirm our goal is becoming areality," said Bruce Perkins, Humana's senior vice president ofnational contracting. "We understand the importance of payingproviders accurately and quickly. Reducing administrative complexityin the health care system plays a large role in the accuracy andtimeliness of the payment process, which is where our efforts aresquarely focused."

The use of technology played an important role in making sureproviders could more easily access claims information from Humana.

"We have taken several key technology steps to drive speed andsimplicity in our claims payment processes," said Bruce J. Goodman,Humana's senior vice president and chief service and informationofficer. "Our state-of-the art administration system provides severaladvantages for today's business. Among these are real-timecapabilities and integrated e-business support, which we enhanced toprovide substantial Web connectivity services for providers. Inaddition, through a joint venture with Blue Cross Blue Shield ofFlorida, Inc. (BCBSF) we established Availity L.L.C., now one of thelargest national clearinghouses. We are leveraging the real-timecapabilities of the Availity Gateway to deliver more responsiveservice to providers in a number of areas. Humana's top ranking in the'PayerView Index' recognizes our commitment to advance administrativesimplicity and to continue delivering service excellence to ourprovider community."

The ranking, however, has ramifications beyond Humana'srelationship with its contracted providers.

"When the doctor has a better experience with the insurancecompany, then the patient is likely to have a better experience, too,"said Perkins. "There is less time spent navigating through red tapeand more time spent on delivering care, which is as it should be."

Humana hopes to further support the relationship betweenphysicians and patients through other recent initiatives, includingSmartSummary(SM), a comprehensive health care report that should opena dialogue between doctors and patients about treatment options,medication and costs.

About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of thenation's largest publicly traded health benefits companies, withapproximately 9.3 million medical members. Humana offers a diversifiedportfolio of health insurance products and related services - throughtraditional and consumer-choice plans - to employer groups,government-sponsored plans, and individuals.

Over its 45-year history, Humana has consistently seizedopportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is aleader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lowercosts and a better health plan experience throughout its diversifiedcustomer portfolio.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors viathe Investor Relations page of the company's web site athttp://www.humana.com, including copies of:

-- Annual report to stockholders;

-- Securities and Exchange Commission filings;

-- Most recent investor conference presentation;

-- Quarterly earnings news releases;

-- Replays of most recent earnings release conference call;

-- Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates, times, and access number, as well as planned interaction with institutional investors);

-- Corporate Governance Information.