Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Perot Systems Successfully Implement Payer/Provider Collaboration Via Open Architecture Web Services

WELLESLEY, Mass. and PLANO, Texas, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc. and Perot Systems Corporation have developed an open architecture solution that enables healthcare providers to effectively exchange secure HIPAA-compliant transactions (e.g., claims, eligibility, etc.) with Harvard Pilgrim via Web services. This new tool, a feature of Harvard Pilgrim's electronic transaction Channel Strategy, is now effectively processing several thousand transactions per week at no additional cost to physicians and health systems using this method.

"The dynamics of the healthcare marketplace have created tremendous incentives for providers and health plans to directly connect around processes that reduce costs, while increasing the quality and value of shared information," said John Kelly, business architect for Harvard Pilgrim's Channel Strategy. "We are now able to reach a much broader segment of our provider network with this new, cost-effective solution for direct integration with their office desktops. Providers are seeing benefits as well, such as automatic responses and receipt notifications. When more payers and providers adopt this type of direct business-to-business model, everyone in the industry will see the financial benefits."

"Perot Systems has worked with Harvard Pilgrim to integrate and leverage the advantages of the Internet, open standards, scalable messaging architectures, and transactional security measures to enable secure, real- time, quality transactions between payers and providers that are compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and other regulatory requirements," said Matthew Kristin, Perot Systems chief architect for Harvard Pilgrim. Kristin added, "Implementing a solution that can support both large hospitals and the small provider office is a significant benefit."

"The Web-services, standards-based solution accommodates several different types of interactions, including real-time and batch processing, and various data formats, including both Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and non-EDI transactions," said Larry Rapisarda, Harvard Pilgrim's chief technology officer. "This solution gives us improved data quality, improved customer satisfaction and reduced operational costs."

Perot Systems began working with Harvard Pilgrim in 1999 under a 10-year strategic integrated business and technology services agreement. In 2002, that agreement was extended two years and the services expanded.

In addition to Web Services, Harvard Pilgrim and Perot Systems have previously implemented HPHConnect, a Web-based portal that has made it easier for members, providers, and employers to access information and tools that help administer their relationships with Harvard Pilgrim.

About Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is a not-for-profit health plan serving approximately 800,000 members in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Harvard Pilgrim offers health coverage through HMO, PPO and POS managed-care products, and is a leader in disease management, health and wellness programs and online health support at http://www.harvardpilgrim.org/ . The health plan's provider network includes approximately 20,000 physicians and 120 hospitals. Harvard Pilgrim has consistently been named one of the nation's top-ranked health plans for quality and member satisfaction by independent rating organizations and consumer publications.

About Perot Systems

Perot Systems is a worldwide provider of information technology services and business solutions. Through its flexible and collaborative approach, Perot Systems integrates expertise from across the company to deliver custom solutions that enable clients to accelerate growth, streamline operations and create new levels of customer value. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Perot Systems reported 2003 revenue of $1.5 billion. The company has more than 13,000 associates located in North America, Europe, and Asia. Additional information on Perot Systems is available at http://www.perotsystems.com/ .

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "forecasts," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue" or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially. Please refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at http://www.sec.gov/ , for additional information regarding risk factors. We disclaim any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.

Perot Systems Corporation

CONTACT: Georgia Engle of Perot Systems Corporation, +1-972-577-6012, or
at HIMSS, +1-214-499-2839, or fax, +1-972-577-5142, or georgia.engle@ps.net

Web site: http://www.sec.gov/

Web site: http://www.perotsystems.com/http://www.harvardpilgrim.org/

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