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Preferred Choices PPO Receives URAC Health Network Accreditation

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Oct. 24, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Preferred Choices PPO, a subsidiary of Trinity Health, today announced that it has received full accreditation for Health Network and Credentialing Standards from URAC, a Washington, DC-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry.

"This health network accreditation underscores our strong dedication to quality and customer service," said William R. Alvin, President and CEO of Preferred Choices PPO and Care Choices HMO. "The fact that it comes right after our HMO's (Care Choices) #7 ranking in the nation and top-rank in the state(see Note) is no coincidence. We understand that quality health care is crucial to our nation's welfare and it is important for us to measure ourselves against national standards."

"Preferred Choices PPO should be commended for meeting strict quality standards," said Charles Stellar, URAC Board Chair. "It is critically important for health care organizations to make a commitment to quality and accountability. URAC accreditation is a demonstration of that commitment by Preferred Choices PPO."

Preferred Choices offers PPO options that include nearly 11,000 physicians and 82 leading hospitals in Michigan. In addition to offering one of the largest leased PPO networks in Michigan, Preferred Choices PPO includes a Healthy Advantages program that provides discounts on popular health-related services such as Weight Watchers(r), massage therapy, nutritional counseling, laser vision correction, eye exams, lenses and contacts. Preferred Choices PPO members also have access to an online health information library for everyday health information.

About Care Choices

Care Choices is a health benefits management company and a subsidiary of Trinity Health, one of the nation's leading providers of health care services. Since 1986, Care Choices has been providing quality health care coverage to thousands of members throughout Michigan. The Care Choices suite of products includes Care Choices HMO, Care Choices PPO, Preferred Choices PPO and consumer-directed plans. Care Choices offers a broad, fully integrated network of physicians, hospitals and other health care professionals all sharing a strong commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves by delivering effective and affordable health care. Care Choices HMO maintains the highest rating available of Excellent by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Care Choices HMO was rated by U.S. News & World Report/NCQA "America's Best Health Plans," as the seventh best commercial health plan among 257 nationwide. Care Choices ranked first in Michigan.

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation and certification programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

Note: According to the U.S. News & World Report/NCQA "America's Best Health Plans, 2005". "America's Best Health Plans" is a trademark of U.S. News & World Report.

CONTACT:  Care Choices
          Karen Wood
          248-489-6431 
          woodke@trinity-health.org