Eleven Hospitals Select Aegis Health Group for Business Development Strategies in First Month of 2010

NASHVILLE, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Aegis Health Group, the nation's leading healthcare business development company, announced today the signing of several multi-year agreements to bring business development initiatives to 11 U.S. hospitals. These new alliances will enable partnering hospitals to work with employers in their communities to better manage the health of their workforce and link hospital-sponsored programs and services with the specific health-related needs of local businesses.

The new agreements include:

• The Christ Hospital, a 555-bed not-for-profit, acute-care medical center in greater Cincinnati, offering services in cardiovascular care, spine treatment, women's health, major surgery, cancer, behavioral medicine, orthopedics, emergency care, kidney transplant and others.
• Bon Secours Richmond, an integrated health system, includes these four distinct facilities: St. Mary's Hospital, Memorial Regional Medical Center, Richmond Community Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center.
• Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System, a leading healthcare organization serving southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, includes DePaul Medical Center, Mary Immaculate Hospital and Maryview Medical Center.
• The Regional Health System of Acadiana, based in Lafayette, LA, includes these three facilities: The Regional Medical Center of Acadiana, Women's & Children's Hospital and Dauterive Hospital.

Through their agreements with Aegis, these hospitals will begin offering employers a cost-effective solution to address their rapidly rising health-related costs. Aegis will provide the hospitals proprietary tools and, in most cases, an employer relations specialist housed on the hospital campus to help make this happen. Using data gathered through personal health profiles, at-risk employees will be matched with appropriate early detection, prevention and education initiatives offered by the hospitals. As has been proven in other markets throughout the country who are utilizing the Aegis program, this approach is expected to result in employee health being improved while employer healthcare costs are reduced.

"We look forward to working with all of these prestigious hospitals and health systems to help align their programs and services with the specific health needs of area residents," said Henry Ross, CEO of Aegis. "More and more hospitals are recognizing that they need to find new ways to grow market share and serve their communities. What we're hearing from the market is that the Aegis solution is the right product at the right time, and that's a good indication of what we anticipate being an upbeat year for Aegis in 2010."

Aegis is the nation's leading healthcare business development company whose programs can currently be found in more than 4,000 employer sites across the country. Employers participating in these programs repeatedly recognize significant dollar savings in employee health costs, absenteeism, healthcare premiums, workers' compensation and other healthcare-related expenditures.

About Aegis Health Group

For 20 years Aegis has helped hospitals across the country form lasting relationships with area employers while improving the health of the workforce. They have translated their success in the employer-health arena to helping hospitals build stronger relationships with physicians. Aegis' health initiatives can currently be found in more than 60 healthcare organizations. Further information may be obtained at www.aegisgroup.com.

SOURCE Aegis Health Group