HMA Hospitals Sign Agreement with Canopy Systems for Web-Based Case and Utilization Management Solution

Business Wire, July 18, 2001

Business Editors, Health & Medical Writers

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--(BW HealthWire)--July 18, 2001

HMA's Midwest Regional Medical Center and

Riverview Regional Medical Center will use Canopy(TM)

to streamline their utilization management process

Canopy Systems, Inc.(TM), a leader in providing Web-based solutions for care coordination, today announced it has signed agreements with Midwest Regional Medical Center, Midwest City, Okla. and Riverview Regional Medical Center, Gadsen, Ala. to implement Canopy's Web-based case and utilization management system.

Midwest and Riverview are owned by Health Management Associates (NYSE: HMA), Naples, Fla., the largest non-urban acute care hospital operator in the U.S.

Midwest and Riverview will use Canopy UM(TM) to automate the authorization and denial management process with the payor community for their inpatient populations. The hospitals' case management departments will also use Canopy CM(TM) to develop a continuum-based approach to case management.

Canopy Systems uses the application service provider (ASP) model to provide integrated utilization, case, and disease management applications across the continuum of care. "We selected Canopy because it provides a Web-based alternative to onsite client-server applications," said Brent Davis, Divisional Director, Managed Care, Midwest Regional Medical Center. "Canopy's ASP model eliminates the need for a large upfront capital investment in software and hardware and the expense of adding users, deploying upgrades and maintaining servers. Because Canopy is a Web-based system, case managers and other members of the patient's care team will be able to access the system both in the hospital and in the community."

The Canopy solution will allow Midwest and Riverview to automate their utilization management processes, improve communications with the entire care team, including payors, and begin implementing community-wide case and disease management programs for high-risk patient populations. "We expect Canopy will increase productivity by streamlining our utilization and care coordination programs," said Mark North, CFO, Riverview Regional Medical Center. "Ultimately, we believe the Canopy solution will improve the authorization process with payors and create an effective denial management program to track claim denials and improve our success rate for appeals."

The Canopy solution will interface with HMA's corporate ADT system to electronically capture key patient and financial data and will initiate the utilization management process at the two hospitals. With the interface, Midwest and Riverview case managers will be able to access real-time information as soon as the patient is admitted to the facilities.

"We are thrilled to work with two HMA hospitals to implement Canopy UM and CM across their organizations," said Alan Winchester, President and CEO of Canopy Systems. "Canopy is designed to assist healthcare organizations such as Midwest Regional Medical Center and Riverview Regional Medical Center, who are committed to improving the health of their communities and impacting the hospital's bottom line through care coordination programs."

About Midwest Regional Medical Center

Midwest Regional Medical Center, Midwest City, Okla., is an acute care, full-service hospital with 247 licensed beds and more than 300 primary care and specialty physicians. Midwest provides comprehensive healthcare services including a Level III trauma center, obstetrics and women's services, open heart surgery, cardiac surgery services, cardiac rehabilitation, occupational medicine services, neurosurgery, home health, physical therapy services and a primary physician group.

About Riverview Regional Medical Center

Riverview Regional Medical Center, Gadsen, Ala., is an acute care, full-service hospital with 281 licensed beds. Riverview provides comprehensive healthcare services including a Level II trauma center, obstetrics and women's services, open heart surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, neurosurgery and home health.

About HMA

Health Management Associates, (NYSE: HMA), (www.hma-corp.com) Naples, Fla., is the largest non-urban operator of general acute care hospitals situated primarily in the Southeast and Southwest. HMA currently operates 37 facilities in 11 states with 5,224 licensed beds.

About Canopy Systems

Canopy Systems, Inc.(TM) (www.canopysystems.com) is the leader in providing Web-based solutions for care coordination. The Canopy(R) product line utilizes the ASP model to provide utilization, case, and disease management applications across the continuum of care. Canopy Systems, Inc.(TM) is a subsidiary of The Medical Mutual Group of North Carolina.