FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 29, 2006

DES MOINES, Iowa - Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa has named Mercy Capitol in Des Moines as a Blue Distinction CenterSM for Bariatric Surgery and Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines as a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care.

Blue Distinction is a nationwide program that creates an unprecedented level of healthcare transparency for consumers and providers. Driven by quality, collaboration and affordability, Blue Distinction strengthens consumer engagement and provider partnerships through new specialty centers which offer the best practices and standards of care in bariatric surgery, cardiac care and transplant services.

“As a health care provider we must earn the public’s trust,” said David H. Vellinga, Mercy president & CEO. “Mercy is committed to transparency and the sharing of quality of care data with consumers. Everyone deserves access to information that can help them make informed decisions to best meet their health care needs.”

“When you consider the significant number of our more than 1.9 million members who receive cardiac care and have bariatric surgery, we believe it is important for them to know which facilities have been identified as having best practices and standards of care,” says Dr. Mary Davis, vice president and senior medical director, Wellmark. “Last year, Wellmark approved more than 800 bariatric surgeries for our members. Cardiac care is our seventh-highest category of medical spending.”

The process used to select Blue Distinction CentersSM is based on clinical data supplied by hospitals. Each facility’s structure processes and care outcomes are rigorously evaluated. The criteria for designation include nationally-endorsed quality measures, developed in collaboration with medical experts and professional organizations.

The criteria for becoming a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric SurgerySM include:

• Full-service, accredited inpatient hospital facility;
  
• Program must be performing bariatric surgery for the most recent 18 to 24-month period and must perform a required volume of bariatric surgical cases;
  
• Experience and credentialing of the bariatric surgical team;
  
• Ongoing quality management and improvement programs;
  
• Appropriate equipment and staffing; and
  
• Patient care and follow-up care, including evaluation of bariatric surgery complication and mortality rates.

The criteria for becoming a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac CareSM include:

• Full-service, accredited inpatient hospital facility;
  
• Program must be performing a required volume of percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgeries and provide a full range of services, including inpatient cardiac care and cardiac rehabilitation;
  
• Sub-specialty board certification of cardiac team;
  
• Ongoing quality management and improvement programs; and
  
• Cardiac care processes and outcomes for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgery, including evaluation of complication and mortality rates.

For more information about Cardiac or Bariatric care at Mercy Medical Center or Mercy Capitol, call the Mercy Nurse at (515) 243-2584 or visit our website. For more information about Blue Distinction Centers, contact Angela Feig at (515) 245-4551 or by email at feigab@wellmark.com.