Healthways

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

Healthways (NASDAQ: HWAY) 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. 
  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