Highmark Signs Six-Year Extension of Alliance With Health Dialog; Condition Management Program to Continue Through 2011

Business Wire, March 30, 2005

BOSTON -- Health Dialog Services Corporation today announced that Highmark Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, has chosen to continue its alliance with Health Dialog through 2011. Highmark has extended the agreement in recognition of the collaborative relationship with Health Dialog, and the many supportive relationships that have been built between Health Dialog Health Coaches and Highmark members. Highmark has been a Health Dialog client since 1999, and provides its more than three million members with access to Health Dialog's services through a program known to Highmark members as Blues On Call(SM).

The Health Dialog approach to condition management, known as Shared Decision-Making(R), is a telephonic coaching service that helps Highmark members become more active and effective participants in the management of their health. The Health Coaches are specially trained healthcare professionals, such as nurses and dietitians, who, among other things, help patients prepare for physician visits and then help them work with their physicians to develop treatment plans that are consistent with their values and preferences.

"At Highmark, we are committed to assisting our members in taking an active role in their health and healthcare decisions, and in adhering to treatments prescribed by their physicians," said Don Fischer, Chief Medical Officer at Highmark. "Shared Decision-Making(R) truly supports this member-centric approach. In addition, Health Dialog's willingness to customize the program to meet the specific and evolving needs of our members and employer groups has been extremely valuable. We look forward to continuing this collaboration in future years."

Highmark's Blues On Call program provides support services for a broad spectrum of the health conditions which individuals often face over time. For example, Health Coaches can help an individual develop skills for managing a chronic condition such as diabetes, learn how to get objective evidence-based information on treatment options for a condition such as prostate cancer, and learn how to get and assess information on an urgent need such as a 2:00 am fever. The program is one of the most integrated condition management programs in the country. To get help on virtually any health care issue, the Highmark commercial and Medicare members must simply call the Blues On Call 800 number.

"We are pleased to support Highmark in its drive to provide the best possible support to its members," said George Bennett, Chairman and CEO of Health Dialog. "Highmark is one of the most innovative health plans in the country and has pushed the frontiers of condition management services significantly in recent years. We are proud to have played a role as they turned their innovative thinking into high impact programs."

About Health Dialog

Health Dialog is a leading provider of condition management services, including disease management, and is one of the fastest growing privately held firms in the U.S. The firm helps physician groups, health plans, and self-insured employers improve healthcare quality while reducing overall costs. The firm's services include analytic services and telephonic condition management support for individuals. Health Dialog helps individuals become more actively engaged in their healthcare and have more effective relationships with their physicians. For more information about Health Dialog, please visit www.healthdialog.com.

About Highmark, Inc.

Highmark Inc., with corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. For more information about Highmark Inc., visit www.highmark.com.

Blues On Call is a service mark of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association