Healthways

Healthways
This article is about the health care company, for the scuba gear company, see Healthways (scuba gear company).
Healthways
Type Public
Traded as NASDAQHWAY
Industry Health care
Founded 1981[1]
Headquarters Franklin, Tennessee, United States
Key people Ben Leedle (CEO)
Services Disease management
Revenue increase US$736,243,000 (2008)[2]
Operating income increase US$113,482,000 (2008)[2]
Profit increase US$54,815,000 (2008)[2]
Total assets increase US$906,813,000 (2008)[2]
Total equity decrease US$354,334,000 (2008)[2]
Employees 3,500 (2007)
Website http://www.healthways.com

Healthways (NASDAQHWAY) is a disease management company founded in 1981 and headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee.

In 2003, the company topped a list of "America's fastest-growing small companies," based on earnings/share growth, revenue growth, and total return.[3] The company's name was changed from "American Healthways" (NASDAQ: AMHC) to "Healthways" (NASDAQ: HWAY) in 2006 in order to better compete for business outside the United States.[4] In 2008, the company's stock price decreased because it lost Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota as a customer and because a Medicare experiment on disease management (in which the company had participated) had produced "disappointing results".[5] In 2009 Healthways acquired HealthHonors, a behavior economics company that specializes in behavior change science and optimized use of incentives.

Contents

SilverSneakers

SilverSneakers is a fitness program designed for older adults. SilverSneakers is owned by Healthways. SilverSneakers is offered to people who are Medicare-eligible, to group retiree members and to members of other sponsoring organizations.[6]

SilverSneakers originated in 1992 when HealthCare Dimensions, Inc. was founded Tempe, Arizona which later merged with several other health-related companies to form Axia Health Management, Inc. In 2006 Healthways purchased Axia.[7]

QuitNet

QuitNet is an online smoking cessation system emphasizing social support as a mechanism for behavior change. The system originated at Boston University's School of Public Health in 1995 as a demonstration project and was spun-out as a for-profit entity in 2000.[8] The company was later merged along with SilverSneakers and others to form Axia Health Management, Inc. and ultimately acquired by Healthways in 2006.

References

  1. ^ "Our Story". Healthways. http://www.healthways.com/Investors.aspx?id=394&LangType=1033. Retrieved 12 December 2008. 
  2. ^ a b c d e "2008 Annual Report" (PDF) (Press release). Healthways. http://library.corporate-ir.net/library/91/915/91592/items/319468/53E23B31-8649-4DC7-85D0-6631A4F33656_2008_Annual_Report.pdf. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
  3. ^ "The FSB One Hundred: America's fastest-growing small companies". FSB: FORTUNE Small Business. 1 July 2003. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2003/07/01/347327/index.htm. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
  4. ^ "American Healthways changes name, ticker symbol". Nashville Business Journal. 31 January 2006. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2006/01/30/daily13.html. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
  5. ^ Abelson, Reed (7 April 2008). "For one company, role in Medicare experiment has hurt stock". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/business/07medside.html. Retrieved 15 December 2008. 
  6. ^ Ronda Bresnick Hauss. "Medicare Eligible Participants Get No-Cost Gym Membership and Specially Designed Exercise Classes". http://www.capitalcommunitynews.com/publications/hillrag/2009_June/html/SilverSneakers.cfm. Retrieved November 11, 2009. 
  7. ^ "Healthways buys Axia for $450M". http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2006/10/09/daily35.html. Retrieved November 11, 2009. [dead link]
  8. ^ David J. Craig. "BU spin-off creates online community of smokers kicking butts". http://www.bu.edu/bridge/archive/2002/12-06/quitnet.htm. Retrieved April 11, 2010. 

External links