West Palm Beach, Fla. - January 6, 2008- HearUSA, Inc. (AMEX: EAR), the recognized leader in hearing care for the nation's top managed care providers through 200 company-owned hearing care centers and a network of over 1,900 affiliated providers, has been awarded Health Network Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, DC-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry.
URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation. Health Network Accreditation standards include key quality benchmarks for network management, provider credentialing, utilization management, quality management and improvement and consumer protection.
"We believe HearUSA is unique in its approach to hearing care in that we prioritize accountability, best practices, and measurable patient outcomes," said Dr. Cindy Beyer, audiologist and senior vice president of HearUSA. "The process of undergoing accreditation with URAC, the nation's largest accrediting body for health care, has been instrumental in guiding us toward a higher standard of care. HearUSA is currently the nation's only hearing care network accredited by URAC. This award is an important distinction as we pursue expansion of our network and particularly our managed care partnerships."
HearUSA is a recognized leader in hearing care and is partnered with managed care organizations
across the country. Through its Hearing Care Network of 1900 independently practicing audiologists and its company owned hearing clinics, HearUSA administers hearing benefits and provides related products and services to both third party and self referred clients.
"We applaud HearUSA on achieving URAC Health Network Accreditation," said Alan P. Spielman, URAC president and CEO. "In today's health care market, URAC accreditation provides a mark of distinction for organizations to demonstrate their commitment to quality health care."
The Health Network Standards apply to health networks such as preferred provider organizations and specialty networks. These standards encourage open-panel networks to become more integrated in their operations with a strong emphasis on quality assurance and improvement. The Health Network Standards cover three areas: network management, credentialing and consumer protection. In addition to these specific areas, organizations seeking Health Network Accreditation must also comply with the Core Standards, which address several key organizational functions that are important for any health care organization. These include organizational structure;staff qualifications;training and management;oversight of delegated activities;quality management;and consumer protection.
URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization is a leader in promoting health care quality through accreditation and certification programs. URAC's standards keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a mark of distinction for health care organizations to demonstrate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensure that all stakeholders are represented in setting meaningful standard for the health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.
About HearUSA
HearUSA, Inc. provides hearing care to patients primarily through 200 company-owned hearing care centers, which offer a complete range of quality hearing aids with an emphasis on the latest digital technology. HearUSA Centers are located in California, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and the province of Ontario, Canada. The company also derives revenues from its HearUSA Hearing Care Network, comprised of 1,900 affiliated audiologists in 49 states, as well as its website that enables online purchases of hearing related products, such as batteries, hearing aid accessories and assistive listening devices. For further information, click on "investor information" at the HearUSA website: www.hearusa.com.
