Availity Selected as Top Female-Led Company in Northeast Florida CEO Julie Klapstein Honored

June 19, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, FL - Availity, L.L.C., a leading provider of e-health transaction services, has been selected by The Center for Leadership at Florida International University and the Commonwealth Institute South Florida as one of the top 50 women-led businesses in Florida. Availity’s CEO, Julie Klapstein, made the list at number 16, ranking the highest of three firms chosen from the greater-Jacksonville area.

The study was conducted among 121 women-led Florida businesses, responsible for the employment of more than 30,000 people and having a combined state economic impact of more than $12 billion.
The top 50 companies were ranked according to revenue, with Availity reporting roughly $20 million in revenue.

Klapstein has been CEO of Availity since its inception, beginning in 2001 as a joint venture between Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Humana Inc. Availity has gained additional recognition in the health care IT space, winning nine national awards for its innovative Web-based product, The Availity® Gateway. The Gateway connects physicians with multiple health plans through an online Web portal, removing unnecessary administrative burdens from the health care cycle and allowing for the electronic submission of health insurance claims, patient benefit verification, and specialty referrals and authorizations instantly.

"I am truly honored by this recognition," stated Klapstein. "It demonstrates all the effort the Availity team has put forth to become a business leader in Florida. This is an accolade for the entire Availity team to be proud of."

About Availity  - Patients. Not paperwork.®

Availity optimizes the flow of information between health care providers, health plans, and other health care stakeholders through a secure Internet-based exchange. The Availity® Gateway supports both real-time web and batch electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions, is committed to complying with HIPAA regulations, and has proven to be fast and efficient. Availity health plan transactions are free to providers. Value-added services include credentialing data maintenance, also free to providers, and online prescription refill authorizations. Availity is the recipient of the 2004 ITFlorida Excellence in IT Leadership for NE Florida Award, the 2003 eHealthcare Leadership Award, the 2003 E-Fusion Award, the 2003 TETHIE Award, and the 2003 AstraZeneca-NMHCC Partnership Award.

For more information, including an online demonstration of the Availity Gateway, visit www.availity.com  or call 1.800.AVAILITY (282.4548).

Contact:

Availity, L.L.C.
Tony Shepse
Marketing Coordinator
904.470.4984
[email protected]