DentalXChange. Better tools for your practice

EDI-Health Group, Inc., the parent company of DentalXChange, a provider of enhanced connectivity, streamlined technology and transaction solutions for patients, payers and providers in the dental industry, today announced the appointment of Scott Wellwood to the position of president.

Wellwood, who has served as the chief operating officer since he co-founded EDI-Health Group in 1999, will be responsible for leading the growth of DentalXChange, the company's industry-leading Web-based dental EDI solution.

Possessing over 19 years of experience in developing and delivering solutions for serving the claims processing needs of the dental market, Wellwood also co-founded Electronic Insurance Services, Inc., in 1989 and was instrumental in the integration of the company's core services into an Internet-based platform, streamlining transactions between patients, payers and providers in the dental industry.

DentalXChange, a forefront provider of optimal connectivity, streamlined technology and transaction solutions for patients, payers and providers in the dental industry, announced the launch of its Patient Payment Program. In addition to assisting in reducing account payable workload for dental practice staff, the program offers patients no APR and low interest options and a revolving line of credit, will give more patients the financial flexibility to receive doctor recommended treatment. Customers using the DentalXChange Patient Program are also helping support EHG Fund, which aids underserved adults and children internationally in the areas of healthcare, education and human services.

Benefits for practices include:

• Zero start-up fees and lower discount fees;
• Quick, simple online patient application, payment processing and reporting;
• A program designed to maximize patient approvals;
• Prompt payment to provider bank accounts.

Benefits for patients include:

• Simple online application;
• No-interest, cash and low-interest payment plan options at low rates which enable patients to pay for dental care in installments and still get the care they need right now.

"We're excited to bring the Patient Payment Program to the dental industry as it provides a variety of financing options to both dental providers and their patients that increase operational efficiencies and make it affordable for patients to receive and pay for dentist-recommended services," stated Yousuf Nabi, VP of Sales and Marketing. "Our program offers the lowest rate among the competitors in our space and reliable customer service support for patients. As a dental EDI provider with more than 18 years of experience in revenue cycle management and connectivity solutions, DentalXChange is now able to offer practices the complete package solution: streamlined connectivity and advanced business applications merged with a competitive patient financing program."

Dentalxchange.com, a leading provider of optimal connectivity, streamlined technology and transaction solutions for patients, payers and providers within the dental industry, today announced the launch of the EHG Fund. The philanthropy, supported by Dentalxchange and loyal contributors, financially assists institutions and programs focusing on quality of life issues in the realms of healthcare, education and human services to improve the lives men, women and children all over the globe.

The EHG Fund was founded in 2004, when EDI Health Group, Inc. (dentalxchange.com) experienced the sudden loss of a well-respected colleague. In memoriam, a school was established in a region of his native India and continues to receive aid from the EHG Fund.

Partially funded and fully maintained by Dentalxchange, the fund has significantly expanded since its founding days to provide high-quality assistance to disadvantaged individuals worldwide in the areas of education, healthcare and human services in order to improve standards of living and quality of life for the foundation's beneficiaries.

The EHG Fund has partnered with organizations such as the American Heart Association, Orange County Community Foundation and Full Circle Learning Inc. among others and continues to seek ways to serve the needs of underserved individuals internationally through strategic investments in excellent charitable efforts.

"Our goal as an organization is to give back by helping worthy philanthropic endeavors worldwide, not just monetarily but by becoming physically involved," stated Kavian Maghzy, Chief Information Officer. "We encourage our counterparts in the dental industry to join us as partners in supporting this outreach to assist underserved individuals globally, equipping them with the tools to build a better future."

EDI Health Group, Inc. (EHG) announced that it has established a partnership with Bright Now! Dental, based in Southern California. EHG will now provide a range of specialized business and financial services, to BrightNow offices, including electronic claims processing, online consolidated reporting, advanced account management services, and real-time services including eligibility, benefits, and claim status.

"We are pleased to work with Bright Now! Dental and it's nearly 300 offices nationwide", stated Scott Wellwood, Chief Operating Officer at EHG. "By working together we can offer dental practices a host of special services designed to enhance the business functions of their practice. The more we take on in terms of administration and finance, the more the dentist can concentrate on patient care. That's best for everyone including their more than 2.5 million patients they treat each year."

EDI Health Group, Inc. (EHG) announced that it has extended its partnership with American Dental Partners (ADP), a leading source of specialized business services for the dental profession. Already ADP's exclusive provider for electronic claims processing, EHG is adding electronic reporting and account management services, along with real-time eligibility, benefits and claim status information directly to the dental office.

"We've had a great relationship with ADP for some time", stated Scott Wellwood, Chief Operating Officer at EHG, and are proud to be one of their chosen vendor partners. Now we can provide even more high value services to their dental clients throughout the United States."

"Our system can provide virtually instant patient and payer information to the dentist, and saves time for all parties, allowing dentists to collect more of their claims in a shorter time span. It also helps reduce the error rate by cutting the number of processing steps," said Wellwood. "This simultaneous time and error reduction means higher earnings for both the dentist and the insurer."

ADP provides business services to 27 dental groups and 242 dental facilities in 18 states.

For additional information about ADP, go to www.amdpi.com.

EDI Health Group, Inc. (EHG) announced that it has extended its partnership with Dental Care Partners (DCP), a leading source of specialized business services for the dental offices.

"Our new agreement allows us to provide DCP's 70 affiliated dental practices with electronic claims processing, online consolidated reporting, advanced account management services, and real-time services including eligibility, benefits, and claim status. They will also utilize our BillConnect patient statements and marketing support, as well as our PayConnect Merchant Services program", stated Scott Wellwood, Chief Operating Officer for EHG.

"Our system provides virtually instant patient and payer information to the dentist, and saves time for all parties, allowing dentists to collect more of their claims in a shorter time span. It also helps reduce the error rate by cutting the number of processing steps," said Wellwood. "This simultaneous time and error reduction means higher earnings for both the dentist and the insurer."

"Establishing new business relationships such as this one validates EHG's commitment to provide state-of-the-art services to the dental profession. When a company like DCP respects our work enough to sign a deal with us, we know we are on the right track."

DCP has become one of the largest and most profitable group dental practices in the country, with offices in nine states throughout the Midwest and Southeast operating under the Sears Dental and DentalWorks banners, generating annual revenues in excess of $100 million.

For additional information about DCP, go to www.dcpartners.com.

EDI Health Group, Inc. (EHG) announced that it has entered into a business partnership with PerfectByte, a leading provider of practice management software for the dental profession. This exclusive agreement allows users of PerfectByte's software to process all of their electronic claims through EHG's ClaimConnect™ web portal.

"We are pleased to announce this agreement", stated Scott Wellwood Chief Operating Officer at EHG, "because now we can offer our services to PerfectByte's clients for the first time. This is a substantial step forward for us and also for the dental professionals who have not had access to our electronic claims service before. We provide a rapid turn-around for the dentist, increasing security and reliability for all parties. It's truly a win-win approach all around as the dentist and the insurer see substantial financial benefits, keeping service costs lower for the patient as well."

"We are committed to safeguarding the confidential information with which our customers entrust us," said Wellwood. "Our clients expect us to protect personal health data as well as business information, and we have to be good custodians for them. We hope that we also help to raise the standards of the dental industry as a whole."

"This agreement provides a great synergy for the dental practitioner", stated Wellwood, "since both EHG and PerfectByte are technology-based providers of business services for the dentist. The more we can deliver in the way of administrative support, the more time the dentist has with patients. That's a winning scenario for everyone."

Patricia Dees of PerfectByte stated, "Combining practice management software with electronic claims processing allows the dentist to concentrate more on the delivery of health care and less on the business side of things."

For additional information about PerfectByte, go to www.perfectbyte.net.

EDI Health Group, Inc. (EHG) announced that it has broadened its business partnership with Frontier Dental, a leading provider of business management and support services to dental practices in California.

"We have worked with Frontier for about five years", stated Scott Wellwood, Chief Operating Officer at EHG, "and are fortunate to expand our relationship with them. Their confidence in our work enables us to offer additional services in electronic claims processing, online consolidated reporting, advanced account management services, and other real-time services such as patient eligibility and benefits confirmation."

"The value of our combined services with Frontier is that the dental professional can concentrate more time on the delivery of health care services to the patient", said Wellwood. "Frontier and EHG take on much of the administrative burden in a dental practice, allowing the dentist to do what he or she is trained for: taking care of clients by providing them with time and attention they require."

"We strive to continuously improve our customer service practices, setting demanding standards for ourselves", commented Wellwood. "As a company, we see EHG as the leading-edge firm in this market place and are fully committed to staying in the forefront of industry practice. Expanding our business relationship with companies like Frontier Dental Management confirms that we are on the right track."

dentalxchange.com debuts their two new services during the California Dental Association Scientific Session in Anaheim California.

The reception was held in the Anaheim Hilton and more than 500 dental professional attendees consisting of Dentists, Dental Assistants, Practice Management Vendors, Insurance Companies, and Representatives from other sectors of the dental industry.

PayConnect and BillConnect provide merchant processing with integrated eligibility and statement delivery services respectively. These two new services are a significant addition to dentalxchange's current services portfolio.

PayConnect is the most complete suite of financial services that enables dental offices to accept all forms of payment (Credit Card, Debit Cards, and Checks) from their patients utilizing the power of the Internet. It also provides online patient dental eligibility verification, plan benefit details and claim status inquiries for many carriers.

EHG selects a new state-of-the-art facility in Irvine, California as their new corporate headquarters. This high tech 12,000 sq ft facility is a significant addition to the existing EHG portfolio.

Irvine Business Development, with 12% growth in the past two years alone, has thrived in a multitude of industries such as High Tech, Entertainment, Communications, Professional Services, Biosciences and many more. In fact, many businesses relocating to Irvine site the existing business energy as one of the leading factors to their relocation decision.

BillConnect is the most complete suite of patient billing services that relieves dental offices of the burden of monotonous tasks of printing, stuffing, and mailing patient statements. It provides online bill management for easy review, edit, and approval before delivery via First-Class Mail or patient E-mail. Furthermore, it will enable dental offices to easily accept online payments from their patients.

The NEA* electronic attachment service is now integrated with your ClaimConnect account. ClaimConnect users no longer have to guess which claims require x-rays or other supporting documentation. By working closely with Payers, NEA and ClaimConnect have developed a comprehensive set of rules to determine which claims require attachments on a Payer by Payer basis.

Simply send all of your claims to ClaimConnect, and if the claim requires an attachment, you will be alerted. Send the requested attachment to NEA electronically, and the attachment number will be automatically inserted into the claim on its way to the Payer. Once the claim is received by the insurance company, they can call up your image on screen and release the claim for payment. That's it!

In August 2004 EDI Health Group hosted a historic event that brought together industry leaders from across the country. The Inaugural Industry Summit allowed for open dialog among the nations' leading Payers and Practice Management Vendors. The parties gained a better understanding of what our mutual provider customers want and need in terms of EDI connectivity, and gave them an unprecedented opportunity to network with their peers in a noncompetitive environment.

Attendees included representatives from Aetna, Ameritas, Delta Dental Plans, MetLife, Wellpoint, AlphaDent, Datacon Dental, Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Kodak Dental Systems, QSI to name a few.

The highlight of the event was the open forums that facilitated spirited discussions. The broad spectrum of topics centered on our roles in the future of the Insurance and Claim Processing industry.

Partnership with EHG means much more than just selecting a clearinghouse to process your claims. It is a relationship between forward thinking companies determined to make a difference in an industry and in people's lives.

New transactions are being implemented at a rapid pace, and EHG is uniquely positioned to facilitate seamless connectivity between providers and payers.

As the power behind many Payer transaction sites such as MetDental.com, Aetnadental.com, and the Wellpoint family of companies, EHG has more experience in processing real-time dental transactions in a secure online environment than any other company.

In addition, the company announced the formation of its EHG Youth Foundation, a charity specifically focused on educational, health and guidance needs of children in this country and abroad. EHG will donate a portion of its proceeds to this foundation and we welcome similar contributions from our vendor and payer partners.

EDI Health Group, Inc. ("EHG"), is a leader in the production and deployment of value added technology products for the dental community. The Company announced today that it has acquired Dental Connect, Inc. ("DCI") also known as dentalxchange.com of Irvine, California.

This transaction, along with the acquisitions of the EDIT real-time technology and the Tiger-Express attachment solution demonstrates EHG's commitment to the dental community, emphasizing the company slogan of providing "Enhanced Connectivity Solutions". EHG has made and continues to make substantial investments in services and technology to increase the rate of innovation and utilization of electronic payer-provider communications.

"The acquisition of DCI Technology and the addition of its users to our proven EHG network is an important strategic move for EDI Health Group. It will provide the Company with an expanded presence throughout the real time Dental EDI market," said Ali H. Zadeh, Chief Executive Officer of EDI Health Group. "By integrating DCI's Web Services and addition of its direct connections to the industry's largest dental payers with our own extensive list of payer partners, EHG is uniquely positioned to offer the most comprehensive batch and real-time services available to the dental market. The proven WebClaim product line, along with its provider-oriented customer care allows EHG to offer the most advanced EDI solutions for all dental providers. This transaction will enable EHG to immediately penetrate the dental EDI market and provide a strong foundation for future growth. We are looking forward to working with DCI's founding payers and other direct connections and our existing and new vendors to provide value added EDI services and drive up EDI transactions."

"I am confident EHG will be able to further develop the technology acquired from DCI, resulting in a true real-time point-of-service solution for the dental community," said Timothy E. DeWeese, former chair of the Board of Directors, Dental Connect Inc., and current vice president, Information Systems and Services, Delta Dental Plans of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. "We are looking forward to working with EHG to accelerate the adoption of e-commerce."