BLOOMINGTON, MINN. – March 6, 2008 – America’s PPO and America’s TPA proudly announce the celebration of their 25th anniversary. The companies were founded in 1982 by Ms. Nazie Eftekhari, a well-known and highly respected healthcare expert and visionary.

America’s PPO, the first PPO in the nation, today has over 54,000 doctors, specialists, therapists and 290 hospitals under direct contract in the Upper Midwest. The term Preferred Provider Organization – “PPO” – now in wide use nationally, was coined for the company by Dr. Paul Ellwood, a healthcare guru. “I am often asked if a lot has changed for us since we started the company,” Eftekhari says. “I always respond the same way – well of course a lot has changed…much of it for the better…but the most visible change has been our name…thanks to the marketing people and the attorneys. We started out as Metrocare, then became Family Health Plan, then Ethix followed by the Araz Group until my brother Amir finally named us America’s PPO,” Eftekhari explains. “So, different names but always the same ownership and management, always the same commitment and values.”

“We have come a long way from our humble beginnings in the basement conference room of Fairview Southdale Hospital when we first presented to the medical community,” Eftekhari noted. The first employer to adopt the new approach was the Dayton Hudson Corporation. “Their head of benefits, Fred Hammacher, was a fearless visionary. He was not intimidated by the marketing and advertising power of the HMO’s and did not believe their model offered the answer for Dayton-Hudson,” Eftekhari continued. “It was the break we needed.” From there the company grew, and other PPOs were formed in other states. However, not everyone jumped on the bandwagon. “I remember the day I was told PPOs would not survive – HMOs were the only answer to controlling healthcare costs. History has proven us right, and today PPOs continue to be the No. 1 delivery model,” recalls Eftekhari.

America’s TPA, a state-of-the-art, high-tech, high-touch company operating successfully in one of the most consolidated markets in the country, has long been offering innovative services and solutions to its clients. “Prevention, service, education, and innovation are the keys to our clients’ success,” according to America’s TPA President Amir Eftekhari. “We have adopted the same values – best practices from our clients – and it works! We love helping people – it’s good business and it’s the right thing to do,” he continues. “We know the combination of a highly educated, experienced and trained staff with compassionate family values is optimal when it comes to taking care of people’s healthcare concerns. We are a family-owned business. We believe the ‘family’ model is a far better approach to healthcare than “corporate model.” The Company has been the “best kept secret” in healthcare but may not be secret for much longer. Its list of high-profile clients is quite impressive.

The Company plans a number of initiatives in 2008 to mark this milestone. “In an age of mergers and acquisitions, it is important to celebrate the fact that our company has been under the same ownership and management for 25 years. We will be hosting a number of events throughout the year – celebrating with our doctors, hospitals and other providers as well as employer clients, brokers, members and our own employees” according to Josh Kutzler, Executive V.P. and CFO.

About Us

Our family of companies includes America’s PPO, America’s TPA, HealthEZ and America’s IME.

America’s PPO is the only independent (independent means not owned by hospitals, doctors, insurers, or HMOs) PPO in the Upper Midwest. It provides its network to insurance companies, third party administrators and national networks throughout the country. The company includes integrated medical management services and today provides its services to hundreds of thousands of members. For more information, visit www.AmericasPPO.com.

America’s TPA has been designing custom benefit plans, including high-deductible health plans, for self-insured employers since 1982. America’s TPA helps clients control their health plan costs through flexible plan design and aggressive medical management programs, and is the only benefit administrator in the region to offer the HealthEZ service. For more information, visit www.AmericasTPA.com.

HealthEZ, founded in 1997, is a financial transaction company providing a simplified, consolidated statement and medical payment service to consumers through their employer sponsored plans. HealthEZ partners with third party administrators to provide its service and pays patient liability to providers through various instruments, including credit and debit cards, HSA, HRA and FSA accounts. For more information, visit www.healthez.com.

America’s IME, a division of America’s PPO, has been providing best-in-class IME services to the insurance industry since 1992.