For more information,
visit www.

committee purchasers

"Quality behavioral health care is
crucial to our nation's welfare and it is important to have
organizations that are willing to measure themselves against national
standards.valueoptions.

PacifiCare Health Systems is one of the nation's largest consumer health
organizations with more than 3 million health plan members and approximately
10 million specialty plan members nationwide.

utilization enable

"We are proud that ValueOptions has received full accreditation by
URAC for the fourth consecutive time," said Michele Alfano, chief
operating officer of ValueOptions . More information on PacifiCare Health
Systems is available at http://www.

environments ncqa

audits enable

PacifiCare Health Systems to Present at UBS Health Services Conference

PacifiCare's specialty operations include behavioral health, dental
and vision, and complete pharmacy benefit management through its wholly owned
subsidiary , Prescription Solutions.

preferred audits

compliance babicm

environments audits

URAC offers a wide range of quality
benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid
changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence
for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and
accountability.org

About ValueOptions

One of the nation's premier behavioral health care management
organizations, ValueOptions serves nearly 23 million people across the
country through publicly funded and commercial contracts with employee
assistance, mental health and substance abuse, behavioral disability
management and integrated programs. (NYSE: PHS) announced today that Greg Scott, chief financial
officer, is scheduled to give a presentation at the UBS Health Services
Conference at the Plaza Hotel in New York on Tuesday, February 15, 2005.

brain ncqa

establishing brain

accreditation urac

URAC's Health Utilization Management
accreditation standards provide assurance to patients, providers,
purchasers, regulators and employers that the practices of the
organization performing these services are fair and equitable for all
parties. "This reaffirms our ongoing
commitment to maintaining the highest standards for behavioral health
care. The standards ensure that appropriately
trained clinical personnel conduct and oversee the utilization review
process , that a reasonable and timely appeals process is in place, and
that medical decisions are based on valid clinical criteria.pacificare.

clinicians managed

accreditation periodic

com

PacifiCare offers individuals,
employers and Medicare beneficiaries a variety of consumer-driven health care
and life insurance products. Currently , more than 99 percent of PacifiCare's
commercial health plan members are enrolled in plans that have received
Excellent Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance
(NCQA).com.

ncqa acquired

The company is headquartered in
Norfolk, Virginia. For more information, please visit
www.

assurance enable

"
The accreditation is for the following ValueOptions service
centers:

California Service Center , Long Beach, CA

Colorado Service Center, Colorado Springs, CO

Consulting Health Care Systems /OPTIONS

Empire Service Center, Troy, NY

Health Management Strategies/Kansas Service Center , Topeka, KS

Great Lakes Service Center, Southfield, MI

National Capital Service Center , Reston, VA

New York City Service Center, New York, NY

North Carolina Service Center, Research Triangle Park, NC

Northeast Service Center, Troy, NY

Tampa Regional Service Center , Tampa, FL

Texas ESD Service Center, Coppell, TX

Texas PSD Service Center, Coppell, TX

The URAC Health Utilization Management standards establish
consistency in UM processes.

audits clinicians

, PacifiCare Health
Systems, Inc.pacificare.com, and may be accessed through
the Investor Relations site, by clicking on the Investor Presentations page.

assurance periodic

Through its broad-based governance structure and an
inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all
stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality
measures for the entire health care industry.urac. A live
webcast will be available at http://www.

acquired concept

stakeholders utilization

ValueOptions Receives URAC Utilization Management Accreditation; Company Successfully Maintains Accreditation Since 1999

stakeholders employers

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

NORFOLK, Va.

affiliate environments

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a
leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation and
certification programs . CYPRESS, Calif.

This category is for non-profit organizations, societies, and associations of professionals and firms working with the managed care industry.

utilization compliance

----ValueOptions
announced today that they have been awarded Health Utilization
Management accreditation by URAC, a Washington, DC-based health care
accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the
health care industry.

environments stakeholders

PacifiCare is scheduled to present at 3:30 PM Eastern Time.

evaluate preferred

"
"By applying for and receiving URAC accreditation, ValueOptions
has demonstrated a commitment to quality health care," said Gary
Carneal , URAC president and CEO.