Press Release

Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05 Dec 2005

Palmetto GBA Commits to COPC Certification

Amherst, NY - Customer Operations Performance Center Inc. (COPC) announces that Palmetto GBA, one of the nation's largest Medicare administrative services contractors, has committed to certification to the COPC-2000® 4.0 Standard. Palmetto GBA has engaged COPC to work with its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) beneficiary services call center operations located in Florence, South Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina.

Palmetto GBA is the most diversified Medicare contractor in the country and ranks among the top health care contractors in the United States. Their clients include health care providers, beneficiaries, and other Medicare partners. Citing the quality and expertise of its employees as integral to its success, Palmetto GBA has administered complex transaction processing for one of the nation’s largest government agencies, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), since the inception of the Medicare program in 1965.

"Our employees remain at the heart of our efforts to prepare for the next generation of information technology and affiliated customer service initiatives', said Susan Pendley, Palmetto Assistant Vice President Customer Service Strategies. "At Palmetto GBA, we employ the best people to respond to the evolving needs of our customers and partners. Thousands of healthcare providers and several million consumers across the country rely on Palmetto GBA's business model to meet the demands of an ever-changing market. Whether from business or government, our customers and partners stay with us for the long haul because we help them stay ahead."

With nearly 40 years of experience, Palmetto GBA provides customers with technology, training, finance and customer service solutions. Its products and services have been developed with its customers and partners in mind, and are geared toward promoting efficiency, reducing costs and streamlining business, operational and clinical processes.

Palmetto GBA believes the rigorous operational performance requirements of the COPC-2000® Standard are consistent with their mission to provide superior quality services in an environment committed to continuous improvement.

About COPC

Headquartered in Amherst, New York, Customer Operations Performance Center Inc. (COPC) is the world's leading authority on customer contact center and transaction processing services organizations. COPC services clients on a global basis, and has representatives in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The COPC-2000® Standard was developed in 1995; representatives from various companies volunteered to join a work team concerned about performance and service quality provided by third party Customer Service Providers (CSPs). These firms included American Express, Compaq, Dell, Intel, L.L. Bean, Microsoft, Motorola, and Novell. Several hundred locations in 30 countries are using the COPC-2000® Standard to improve performance, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction. Users include firms in e-commerce, computer hardware and software, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications and consumer products.

For additional information about COPC, please email to info@copc.com.

About Palmetto GBA, LLC

Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., Palmetto GBA is a wholly owned subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. With over 2,700 employees in 14 states, Palmetto GBA spans the nation with customers in 45 states, two U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. The organization provides administrative services for Medicare, a federal government program run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.