DST Health Solutions® Announces Release of Newest Version of The Johns Hopkins ACG® System for Healthcare Payers and Providers

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Feb. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DST Health Solutions, LLC, today announced the release of Version 10.0 of The Johns Hopkins University's Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACG)® System.  ACG v10.0 includes extensive enhancements that accommodate the ICD-10 coding system transition and increase predictive accuracy for the identification of intervention opportunities for health outcome improvement.

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DST Health Solutions® is the exclusive U.S. distributor of the ACG System.

"This new version of the ACG System provides users with even greater insight when managing the care of high-risk populations," said Professor Jonathan Weiner, co-developer of the original ACG System and leader of the R&D team at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  "Highly accurate risk adjustment and predictive modeling tools are absolutely essential for effective care improvement programs."

Features of ACG Version 10.0 include:

• Several new classification variables, including an aggregate assessment of risk of poor care coordination.
• Greater transparency into risk contributors, such as hospital-dominant conditions and medication adherence.
• Pharmacy morbidity derived from medications administered in a facility or physician's office.
• Technical enhancements to support integration.

"Payers and providers are increasingly aware of the benefits of predictive modeling, particularly in identifying those patients most in need of care management interventions," said Steve Sabino, president of DST Health Solutions.  "Johns Hopkins continues to improve the ACG System, and we are excited to be able to offer this enhanced solution to healthcare institutions to contribute to further improvement in patient outcomes."

ACG Version 10.0 allows ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes to be used simultaneously, as is required for the U.S. transition to ICD-10-CM.  Sabino continues, "We are honored to partner with Johns Hopkins, who has extensive, international experience implementing predictive modeling solutions in over a dozen nations based on the ICD-10 coding system."

For more information, please call 800-272-4799.

About DST Health Solutions
DST Health Solutions, LLC delivers systems and services that help improve efficiency, reduce operational costs, increase speed to market, and facilitate medical cost management and price containment. Our clients include commercial health plans, consumer-directed plans, government plans (Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D and Medicaid) and physician practices. DST Health Solutions' enterprise applications and outsourcing services include claims processing, member and provider management, benefit plan management, new product development, care management and medical management, and decision support/analytics. DST Health Solutions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DST Systems, Inc. For more information about DST Health Solutions, contact 800.272.4799, email [email protected] or visit www.dsthealthsolutions.com.

The information and comments above may include forward-looking statements respecting DST and its businesses. Such information and comments are based on DST's views as of today, and actual actions or results could differ. There could be a number of factors affecting future actions or results, including those set forth in DST's latest periodic financial report (Form 10-K or 10-Q) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such factors should be considered in evaluating any forward-looking comment. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements in this press release to reflect future events.

SOURCE DST Health Solutions