PacifiCare Behavioral Health to Lead Discussion on Cost-Saving Benefit

SANTA ANA, Calif., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- PacifiCare Behavioral Health, Inc. (PBH), a national behavioral health care organization and subsidiary of PacifiCare Health Systems, Inc. , will sponsor the Behavioral Health Track on March 7 at the 2005 National Managed Health Care Congress (NMHCC) at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center.

The full-day forum will feature presentations by a cross section of employers, health plan executives and industry consultants who will reveal their "out-of-the-box" strategies for measuring and increasing the effectiveness of behavioral health programs.

"Today's health care purchasers are increasingly looking at how behavioral benefits can play a more important role in offsetting medical costs and increasing workplace productivity," said Ed Jones, Ph.D., PBH's vice president and chief clinical officer. "This forum provides a tremendous opportunity for industry thought leaders to share their successful, breakthrough strategies with attendees who are interested in putting creative solutions to work in their own environments.

"Attendees will learn about a revolutionary productivity calculator that allows employers to quantify their behavioral benefits in terms of workplace productivity and monetary return. In addition, they will find out how non- traditional behavioral solutions are increasing quality while controlling costs."

According to Jane Barlow, M.D., health benefits operations director of IBM Corporation and one of the session presenters: "Reducing claims costs associated with behavioral issues demands new approaches that identify, reach out to and motivate employees in need. Our non-traditional depression management program has yielded measurable claims and productivity savings and has enhanced the effectiveness of our current care management, pharmacy and medical care programs."

Conference Director Carina Kuhl said: "The behavioral forum adds a valuable dimension to this year's NMHCC. Our mission is to further health care innovation, and the behavioral industry is making giant strides in its contribution to more effective and affordable health care. PacifiCare Behavioral Health has done an outstanding job of bringing together some of the industry's most dynamic and invigorating presenters."

About the National Managed Health Care Congress (NMHCC)

The National Managed Health Care Congress is the nation's largest managed care event connecting teams across every segment of the managed care industry. The 17th Annual National Managed Health Care Congress will be held March 5-7, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center. For more information, go to http://www.nmhcc.com/.

About PacifiCare Behavioral Health

PacifiCare Behavioral Health, Inc. provides mental health, chemical dependency and employee assistance services to covered members and maintains a national network of behavioral health care practitioners. All PacifiCare Behavioral Health service centers hold three-year, Full Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), as well as URAC Health Utilization Management and Case Management Accreditation. PacifiCare Behavioral Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of PacifiCare Health Systems , with clients including health plans, union trust funds, employers, school districts and public sector agencies. More information on PacifiCare Behavioral Health can be obtained at http://www.pbhi.com/.

About PacifiCare Health Systems

PacifiCare Health Systems is one of the nation's largest consumer health organizations with more than 3 million health plan members and approximately 10 million specialty plan members nationwide. PacifiCare offers individuals, employers and Medicare beneficiaries a variety of consumer-driven health care and life insurance products. Currently, more than 99 percent of PacifiCare's commercial health plan members are enrolled in plans that have received Excellent Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). PacifiCare's specialty operations include behavioral health, dental and vision, and complete pharmacy benefit management through its wholly owned subsidiary, Prescription Solutions. More information on PacifiCare Health Systems is available at http://www.pacificare.com/.