Forté Joins Forces with AIM DMC to Bring Expanded Work Comp and Managed Care Services to Clients

Business Wire, April 03, 2009

Consolidation of Services Brings Field Case Management, Vocational Consultation and Specialty Services Capabilities to Growing Medical Management Company

AUSTIN, Texas -- Forté one of the industry’s leading providers of comprehensive medical management services for workers’ compensation and liability claims, welcomes the addition of the staff of Atlanta-based AIM DMC, a company providing a continuum of disability management services to Fortune 500 companies and other employers in the Southeast.

Through the addition of the AIM DMC group, Forté’s services and areas of expertise will be enhanced. Forté will now offer field case management, vocational consulting and other specialty services to its current clients, as well as bring the company’s national managed care network and medical management services to the AIM DMC customer base. The addition expands and strengthens Forté’s vertical integration model and helps to increase the company’s presence in the growing Southeast marketplace. The combined group will operate under the Forté name.

“Our goal is to provide a complete array of workers’ compensation services through a strong network of innovative and respected providers,” said Dan Moore, chief operating officer of Forté. “The consolidation of our services with AIM DMC will help our company to respond to the needs of our customers at an accelerated pace while also allowing us to reduce the frictional cost of claims handling. These capabilities will help us control client costs, provide a larger breadth of service and increase our presence in a key region for our company.”

Formed in 2004, AIM DMC has quickly grown to become one of the most innovative field case management companies in the Southeast and has served many of the region’s largest corporations. AIM DMC’s continuum of disability management services coordinates and guides treatment while acting as an advocate for the injured worker through the medical process, including recovery and early return to employment.

“Our philosophy and approach to workers’ compensation will complement and enhance Forté’s existing business while bringing important new services to our customers,” said Mark Easler, president of AIM DMC. AIM DMC’s focus is on responsiveness to employers as well as the injured worker. “We initiate individual case management services as soon as we are notified of an injury or illness. This prompt involvement and three-point contact model that touches the injured worker, employer and physician; creates efficiency; helps control costs, and ensures proper treatment and a timely return to work. Together, our approach will help us to bring even better services and results to all of our clients.”

Because not all employees can return to their previous position, or even company, another key service of the company is vocational consulting or reappointment services. Through the company’s Career Center, AIM DMC identifies potential job opportunities by matching employees’ interests and abilities with available jobs.

“Because work comp is so highly regulated, our vocational training service is a tremendous asset to our clients,” said Easler. Regulators in many states require employers to help claimants develop new job skills. By providing this type of training and resources to help injured workers find new jobs, we are also helping to reduce their exposure while managing overall work comp costs.”

For more information on Forté and AIM DMC, please contact Moore or Easler at 800-580-4567.

About Forté

Based in Austin Texas, Forté partners with insurance carriers, large self-insured employers and third party administrators to provide comprehensive medical management services for workers’ compensation and liability claims. The company’s national managed care services include: medical bill auditing and review, utilization review (pre-certification and peer review), case management and integrated managed care plans. For additional information, please visit www.fortereview.com.