MAMSI Selects Centers of Excellence for Joint Replacement



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Friday, May 12, 2000	Diane Landry King (301) 838-5636

MAMSI Selects Centers of Excellence for Joint Replacement

Rockville, Md. - Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Inc. (MAMSI), one of the region’s largest managed care plans, announced today a new Centers of Excellence for Joint Replacement Surgery program effective August 1, 2000 in selected geographic areas.

"Centers of Excellence for Joint Replacement bring together highly skilled physicians, physical therapists and nurses in facilities offering state of the art technology," said Vera C. Dvorak, M.D., Medical Director for MAMSI Health Plans. "Our members electing joint replacement surgery can expect improved outcomes at these Centers of Excellence."

Optimum Choice, Inc.® (OCI) and MD-Individual Practice Association, Inc. (M.D. IPA) members residing in the Baltimore Metropolitan area electing joint replacement or revision surgery will be treated at a Center of Excellence. Members of other MAMSI Health Plans may also use the Centers of Excellence.

The coordinated care approach offered by Centers of Excellence brings together a highly skilled surgical team and rehabilitation team emphasizing patient education and successful clinical outcome. This team approach is designed to reduce post-operative complication and readmission rates. Moreover, patients are targeted to return to full activity and enjoy many productive years and pain free use of their joints.

MAMSI designated the following facilities as Centers of Excellence for Joint Replacement: Anne Arundel Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, James Lawrence Kernan Hospital, and Union Memorial Hospital. Other identified Centers of Excellence include: George Washington University, Washington Hospital Center and Arlington Hospital.

"We are pleased MAMSI chose Anne Arundel Medical Center as a Center of Excellence for Joint Replacements," said Marshall K. Steele, M.D., Director of Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Total Joint Replacement Center. "This, in addition to being named by the HCAI as one of the top twenty community hospitals in the nation for total joints, makes the new millennium very exciting for us. Our dedicated total joint unit, known affectionately as ‘Joint Camp’, with its dedicated nurses and staff has made a huge difference. Several of our physicians specialize almost exclusively in arthritis and total joint replacements."

"Our Centers of Excellence Program is another example of our commitment to our members," Mark D. Groban, M.D., MAMSI Chairman said. "We continually look for new partnerships with health care professionals and facilities to assure our members have access to state of the art technology and care."

Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Inc.’s subsidiaries cover over 1.8 million lives in Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Its network includes over 40,000 physicians, specialists and affiliates; 340 hospitals; and over 21,000 pharmacies over the total service area. It is one of the mid-Atlantic region’s largest managed care companies. The Company’s web site is www.mamsi.com.

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