Magellan Health Services Collaborates with Rethink Autism to Offer Autism Assist
Magellan Health Services Collaborates withRethink Autism to Offer Autism Assist
First-in-Industry Support System for Parents of Children with Autism
AVON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Magellan Health Services, Inc. (NAS: MGLN) today announced that it will collaborate with Rethink Autism, Inc., to provide customers with an industry-first online training tool and support system to help parents aid their child with an autism spectrum disorder. By leveraging Rethink Autism's technology and proven applied behavior analysis (ABA) principles, the Magellan program —Autism AssistSM— offers access to more than 1,500 video-based exercises, a personal Web homepage, care coordination, online peer support, and education for parents who are looking for help, guidance, support and training.
Autism's growing prevalence, increasing costs and emotional impact on families, caregivers and communities have elevated it as an issue of great national importance. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in 88 children in the United States has autism, making the prevalence rate 20 times higher than in the 1980s. The CDC estimates intensive therapy costs range from $40,000 to $60,000 per person per year. As a result, many employers are seeking a solution to help them support employees who may have a child with autism.
"We're pleased to offer our customers a clinically-based program using industry-recognized ABA therapeutic approaches to improve health, well-being and the quality of treatment across all families," said Sunil Sachdev, MD senior vice-president of medical operations and strategy, behavioral health at Magellan Health Services. "We believe this program will help our customers offer their employees additional support, guidance and other tools as they seek the best care available for their child."
"Rethink Autism's experience working with children and its connectivity to school systems across the country—critical components in the treatment process—make this a natural collaboration for us to be able to help our customers provide quality care for their employees' children," Sachdev added.
"We're pleased to work with Magellan Health Services to offer Autism Assist and are excited about the opportunity to share this program with their customers," said Daniel Etra, CEO of Rethink. "This research-based approach to effectively serve the needs of children on the autism spectrum is easily accessible, user-friendly, and an innovative way in which employers can better support their employees."
This program is already a leading choice in more than 500 school systems nationwide and the U.S. Department of Defense uses it to provide services to military families on bases worldwide.In recent customer surveys, 95 percent of customers stated that the program was "easy to use," and 98 percent of customers were satisfied with the overall program.
About Rethink Autism: Rethink Autism, Inc., a leading healthcare technology company, seeks to ensure that every child on the autism spectrum has access to effective and affordable evidence-based treatment options. Rethink provides professionals, parents and family members with the tools and information necessary to teach children with autism, as well as other developmental disabilities, in a way that is easy to understand and apply. Rethink Autism was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters at 19 West 21st Street in New York City. For more information, visit www.rethinkfirst.com.
About Magellan Health Services: Headquartered in Avon, Conn., Magellan Health Services Inc. is a leading specialty health care management organization with expertise in managing behavioral health, radiology, and pharmacy benefits programs, as well as integrated health care programs for special populations. Magellan delivers innovative solutions to improve quality outcomes and optimize the cost of care for those we serve. As of June 30, 2013, Magellan's customers include health plans, employers and government agencies, serving approximately 34.0 million members in our behavioral health business, 17.4 million members in our radiology benefits management segment, and approximately 9 million members in our medical pharmacy management product. In addition, the pharmacy solutions segment served 40 health plans and employers, 25 states and the District of Columbia, and several pharmaceutical manufacturers. For more information, visit www.MagellanHealth.com.
Magellan Health Services Inc.
Media Contact:
David W. Carter, 860-507-1909
DWCarter@MagellanHealth.com
or
Investor Contact:
Renie Shapiro, 877-645-6464
RShapiro@MagellanHealth.com
KEYWORDS: United States North America Connecticut
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