New Milliman Care Guidelines(R) Release Offers Enhanced Software and Expanded Content

SEATTLE, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Milliman Care Guidelines LLC, A Milliman Company, has released its 14th Edition of clinical guidelines and software to more than 1,700 clients in the US and internationally.

In 2010, Milliman's clinical content and software have again been updated with the most current evidence available, helping clients to deliver effective, efficient care to their members and patients. In addition, new and enhanced care management solutions expand support of provider and payor goals to improve quality of care, increase consistency, and enjoy enriched access to clinical content within clinical and review workflow.

New tools and enhancements now available include:

• Interactive Software Enhancements -- CareWebQI® interactive software encourages consistent point-and-click application of the Care Guidelines, capturing variances from best practice and enabling real-time reporting to identify inappropriate care.  Version 2.0 adds more flexibility and customizable elements than ever before.  It enhances the Guideline Modification Module, enabling clients to adapt the Care Guidelines to their practices and policies.  It also adds customizable drop-downs and provides collapsible bullet lists for ease of use.  Selectable, customized workflows tailor criteria and content shown to specific needs, such as preauthorization or concurrent review.

• Patient Information Package for Inpatient Setting -- Linked within the Inpatient and Surgical Care product, this new package provides clinicians with discharge and preoperative information.  It also includes inpatient and post-discharge care plans written for patient, family, or caregiver.

• Expanded Ambulatory Guidelines, including Genetic Medicine -- Seventy-nine new Ambulatory Care guidelines provide broad authorization support for such challenging areas as prenatal genetic testing, genetic testing for cancer susceptibility and new chemotherapy drugs.  Other enhancements include diagnosis-specific normative rehabilitation visit data and evidence-based specialist referral support.

• More Chronic Care Guidelines Patient Handouts -- The product now features 277 handouts, easing the case manager's job with this challenging population.  Suitable for mailing to members, they are written in layperson's language, and are also available for license in Spanish.

• Interrater Reliability Tool and Learning Management System -- The Interrater Reliability Tool uses realistic test cases and multiple-choice tests to help determine whether staff members are applying guidelines properly.  The tool and more than 20 On Demand Training modules are key elements of a comprehensive web-based Learning Management System platform.

• Strategic Alliances and Certified Integrations -- Clients can increase workflow efficiency with integrations between CareWebQI and leading care management software products from some 25 Strategic Alliance Partners.  A list of Strategic Alliance Partners, many with certified CareWebQI integrations, is available at http://www.careguidelines.com/company/sap.shtml.

About Milliman Care Guidelines

Milliman Care Guidelines LLC, A Milliman Company, is located in Seattle, and independently develops and produces evidence-based clinical guidelines and software used by more than 1,700 clients, including more than 950 hospitals, seven of the eight largest US health plans, and 25 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid audit contractors.  Covering the continuum of care, the seven-product Care Guidelines series is updated annually by an experienced team of clinicians and is used to support the care management of a majority of Americans.  For more information, visit www.careguidelines.com.  

About Milliman

Milliman is among the world's largest independent actuarial and consulting firms.  Founded in Seattle in 1947 as Milliman & Robertson, the company currently has 52 offices in key locations worldwide.  Milliman employs over 2,400 people.  The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, employee benefits, property & casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services.  Milliman serves the full spectrum of business, financial, government, union, education and nonprofit organizations.  For further information, visit www.milliman.com.

SOURCE Milliman Care Guidelines LLC