HONOLULU and NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 14, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hawai'i Medical Service Association (HMSA) and Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ:HWAY) are announcing a new extended agreement to better support their efforts to improve the health and well-being of Hawaii as an evolution of their partnership, which currently spans 15 years. With this new 10-year agreement, HMSA will deliver Healthways' well-being improvement solutions directly to members through its health services division, which will grow through the transfer of approximately 220 Healthways coaches, clinicians and some management personnel.
The companies will be in a better position to jointly develop innovative strategies and products to continue the healthcare transformation underway in Hawaii. Strengthening HMSA's well-being capabilities is essential for the company to achieve its Māhie 2020 vision of a community health system that advances the health and well-being of everyone in Hawaii. Healthways will continue as the core strategic partner and will provide the technology, analytics, content and programs to HMSA.
"Māhie 2020 is a bold, aspirational reimagining of what HMSA is and does to advance the health and well-being of Hawaii," said Michael A. Gold, HMSA president and chief executive officer. "Healthways is our irreplaceable partner in this journey, and we're excited to continue working with them for the next decade. Our new employees from Healthways will strengthen our partnership even more."
The revised partnership will be in place for a minimum of ten years and guided by a strategy committee of representatives from each company to continue the development and delivery of innovative well-being improvement solutions to raise Hawaii's well-being. The new structure enhances HMSA's ability to enlist the help of providers and employers to reduce the fragmentation of health care delivery that drives up costs.
Alfred Lumsdaine, interim chief executive officer of Healthways, said, "This new agreement is a natural progression of our work together over the past 15 years that will accelerate HMSA's Māhie 2020 vision by leveraging HMSA's knowledge and reach into the community with Healthways' core expertise in developing and deploying best-in-class well-being improvement solutions. Healthways' science-based solutions are delivered with leading technology and create sustainable outcomes that reduce health–related costs for our partners. We look forward to advancing our close relationship with HMSA as well as exploring the additional market potential that this business model represents."
"Over the past 15 years, HMSA and Healthways have implemented some truly innovative steps toward transformative change in healthcare," said Mark McClellan, MD PhD, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "At this critical time for health reform, their partnership has the expertise and long-term commitment needed to scale well-being improvement solutions for HMSA members and communities across Hawaii."
Healthways and HMSA became strategic partners in 2000 and together have made significant progress in building a culture of well-being at HMSA and in Hawaii. Over the past 15 years, HMSA and Healthways have:
- Launched a new model of healthcare with doctors and hospitals to better care for thousands of members with serious illnesses.
- Advanced the health and well-being of Hawaii with solutions such as the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5™, which provides a more comprehensive and accurate picture of an individual's well-being than assessments that focus only on physical health.
- Championed community well-being transformation with the Blue Zones Project in East Hawaii and North Hawaii communities on Hawaii Island and the windward side of Oahu.
- Introduced the Ornish Reversal Program throughout the state, the first program scientifically proven to not only treat but reverse heart disease through comprehensive lifestyle changes.
- Built an ecosystem of well-being tools to support providers in addressing the physical and emotional well-being of their patients.
The companies' combined efforts have contributed to the state's consistently high well-being rankings. According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Hawaii is one of only two states to rank in the top ten states for well-being every year since the measurement was launched in 2008.
About HMSA
Caring for the people of Hawaii is our promise and our privilege. Working with employers, providers, government decision makers, and consumers, we aim to reach our Māhie 2020 vision of a community health system: a system to support the many health and well-being programs and projects that are already underway in our state. We reach out to people where they live, learn, work, and play, so we can empower each and every person to take control of their own health and well-being.
HMSA is the most experienced health plan in the state, covering more than half of Hawaii's population. As a recognized leader, we have a commitment to develop reliable, affordable health plans; support members with clear, thoughtful guidance; and embrace our responsibility to strengthen the health and well-being of our community.
About Healthways
Healthways (NASDAQ:HWAY) is the largest independent global provider of well-being improvement solutions. Dedicated to creating a healthier world one person at a time, the company uses the science of behavior change to produce and measure positive change in well-being for our customers, which include employers, integrated health systems, hospitals, physicians, health plans, communities, and government entities. We provide highly specific and personalized support for each individual and their team of experts to optimize each participant's health and productivity and to reduce health-related costs. Results are achieved by addressing longitudinal health risks and care needs of everyone in a given population. The company has scaled its proprietary technology infrastructure and delivery capabilities developed over 30 years and now serves approximately 68 million people on four continents. Learn more at www.healthways.com.