GEORGIA PHYSICIAN GROUP SELECTS PHYSICIANS EDGE FOR WEB-BASED DECISION SUPPORT TOOL

St. Louis, MO (July 31, 2002) – St. Louis-based Physicians Edge Inc. (PEI) announced today that it has initiated a program with HealthWest PHO in Carrollton, Georgia, to identify and monitor quality and cost initiatives using PEI WebToolsSM, a web-based decision support tool developed by PEI.

St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) August 7, 2002 -based Physicians Edge Inc. (PEI) announced today that it has initiated a program with HealthWest PHO in Carrollton, Georgia, to identify and monitor quality and cost initiatives using PEI WebToolsSM, a web-based decision support tool developed by PEI.

In this new program, HealthWest PHO, a group of 140 physicians serving 100,000 people in Carroll County and surrounding areas in northwest Georgia, will use analyses and recommendations by PEI to establish several quality initiatives in which physicians may participate.

Throughout the life of the program, PEI will gather and store claims data from disparate systems in the physician offices. This information is loaded into PEI WebToolsSM where individual physicians can log in and track their progress against quality and cost initiatives to see how they practice medicine compared to their peers.

Our objective is to supply the highest quality of care to the people in our area, while keeping the care cost-effective," said George Royal, Executive Director of HealthWest PHO. We were interested in working with a vendor that had strong analytic tools for our physicians to monitor quality and reimbursement incentives for about 120 physicians in affiliated practices."

The HealthWest initiative contains many of the features that recent studies of quality incentives say should be present to motivate physicians. Most of the features are widely recommended by practice consultants for all physician financial incentives, whether aimed at cost control or quality.

We selected Physicians Edge, Inc. based on their exceptional technical capabilities, and their experience in clinical reporting and initiatives management. With the initiatives we launch now, HealthWest will be able to offer objective incentive programs to physicians this year. We intend to expand the program next year, with additional initiatives," Royal said.

Its always rewarding when a long-time customer decides to go with us again for another solution," said Doug Villhard, President of PEI. PEI WebToolsSM will provide the physicians with the information they need to make sound treatment decisions and identify specific quality initiatives to target. HealthWest is forward-thinking in their partnership approach with physicians, physician leaders, and health plans. Our tool will be perfect for these initiatives. "

HealthWest PHO has worked with Physicians Edge since 1997 and is now expanding its relationship to include PEI WebToolsSM, a flexible, user-friendly and comprehensive decision support system for health plans and their physicians. It provides accurate, timely and actionable information (such as financial, utilization and quality of care reporting) through a web-based platform thats easy to navigate.

Physicians Edge, Inc. (www.physiciansedge.com) is a St. Louis-based health information company that provides decision support systems for managing the purchase, administration and delivery of health services and benefits. Its customers include health plans and physician groups.

Contact:
Mary Wildt
Physicians Edge, Inc.
314.621.8196
maryw@physiciansedge.com