NASHO Announces First Annual Most Influential in Specialty Health Award

WASHINGTON, July 8  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Specialty Health Organizations (NASHO) today announced that nominations are being accepted for the first annual Most Influential in Specialty Health Award. This award will recognize leaders in specialty health who have played a major role in advancing the industry's mission to improve value, access and availability of high quality specialty health services.

Nominees should be executives from specialty health plans or provider networks that facilitate and support the delivery of specialty health services including: dental, vision, hearing, pharmacy benefit management, behavioral health, chiropractic, complementary care, physical therapy, radiology management and other ancillary services. The award recognizes individuals whose drive, passion and efforts have benefited not only their professional and company interests, but also the specialty health industry as a whole.

According to Julian Roberts, NASHO Executive Director, "In recent years, specialty health's tremendous growth and value-added services have combined to earn the industry a prominent seat at the health care table. Of course, these great strides could not have been accomplished without the outstanding leadership of some of our professional colleagues who have worked tirelessly to increase its value and broaden access. NASHO is leading the effort to formally recognize these individuals for their invaluable contributions by identifying the Most Influential in Specialty Health."

An open nomination process is available July 8 – August 11, 2010 on the NASHO website at www.nasho.org. Nominees can include any leader who has had an impact on specialty health on the basis of visibility, contribution, influence, and reputation as judged by an independent panel of employers, health plan executives, third party administrators and brokers. The award winner will be honored on October 25, 2010 at the NASHO 8th Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About NASHO

NASHO is a subsidiary association of the American Association of Preferred Provider Organizations (AAPPO) (www.aappo.org), founded to advance and evolve specialty healthcare delivery in the United States. Its mission is to enhance and promote the value proposition of specialty health organizations. To learn more about NASHO, visit www.nasho.org.

SOURCE National Association of Specialty Health Organizations (NASHO)