StayWell Maintains URAC Accreditation as a Health Content Provider

YARDLEY, Pa., June 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- StayWell, a health empowerment company, is proud to announce that it maintains its status as a premier provider of health content through its continued URAC accreditation as a Health Content Provider. URAC is the independent leader in promoting healthcare quality through leadership, accreditation, measurement and innovation. By achieving this status, StayWell has demonstrated a comprehensive commitment to quality care, improved processes and better patient outcomes.

StayWell's Content Standards Council ensures its Krames education material receive continuous review from more than 150 different standards bodies. All content adheres to the latest industry guidelines and is reviewed and/or updated every 24 months through a four-tier medical review cycle. Through a diverse set of distribution channels, including FHIR apps and EHR integration, online resources, printed, digital, and video resources, StayWell's high-quality, validated content leverages the science of behavior change to improve patient health and drive greater treatment adherence.

"For over 40 years, our Krames award-winning content has been a leading source of health information used by providers, employers, and health systems to actively improve patient health, for the good of the organization and humanity alike," said Nicole Latimer, Chief Executive Officer of StayWell. "Our continued accreditation by URAC demonstrates our commitment to improve population health outcomes by continuing to provide accurate, timely, easy-to-understand health content."

"It is common sense that you cannot believe everything you read on the Internet, but The StayWell Company has gone to great lengths to be an exception by achieving independent Health Content Provider Accreditation from URAC," said URAC President and CEO Shawn Griffin, M.D. "With URAC's rigorous and independent accreditation standards for healthcare-related content that demand disclosure, quality oversight, and accountability, StayWell demonstrates that it can be a trusted source of health information."

About URAC
Founded in 1990, URAC is the independent leader in promoting healthcare quality through leadership, accreditation, measurement and innovation. URAC is a nonprofit organization using evidence-based measures and developing standards through inclusive engagement with a range of stakeholders committed to improving the quality of healthcare. Our portfolio of accreditation and certification programs span the healthcare industry, addressing healthcare management, healthcare operations, health plans, pharmacies, telehealth providers, physician practices, and more. URAC accreditation is a symbol of excellence for organizations to showcase their validated commitment to quality and accountability.

About StayWell
StayWell is a health empowerment company that enables populations to improve health outcomes through the science of behavior change. For more than 40 years, the company has been a pioneer in employer well-being and patient education solutions that lower risks and reduce costs. StayWell has earned numerous top industry honors for its population health programs, including the C. Everett Koop National Health Award and the Web Health Award. The company has also received Utilization Review Accreditation Committee (URAC) and National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accreditation for several of its programs. StayWell is majority-owned by Healthcare Services & Solutions, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. The company is headquartered in Yardley, Pa., with additional locations including St. Paul, Minn. and Portland, Ore. To learn more, visit www.staywell.com or connect with StayWell on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

About Merck
For more than a century, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and communities around the world - including cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, emerging animal diseases, Alzheimer's disease and infectious diseases including HIV and Ebola. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of The StayWell Company, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the "company") includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company's 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC's Internet site (www.sec.gov).

About Vestar Capital Partners
Vestar Capital Partners is a leading U.S. middle-market private equity firm specializing in management buyouts and growth capital investments. Vestar invests and collaborates with incumbent management teams and private owners to build long-term enterprise value, with a focus on Consumer, Healthcare, and Business Services & Industrial Products. Since its founding in 1988, Vestar funds have completed more than 80 investments in companies ? as well as more than 200 add-on acquisitions ? with a total value of approximately $50 billion. For more information, please visit www.vestarcapital.com.

SOURCE StayWell