Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Selects Marathon Health as Onsite Medical Services Provider

BURLINGTON, VT--(Marketwire - Nov 1, 2011) - Marathon Health, Inc. today announced its selection to provide onsite medical services for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government's 6,400 employees, retirees and dependents. The Government Council approved the contract with Marathon Health at a recent meeting.

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) is a consolidated government between the city of Lexington, Ky. and Fayette County, Ky. led by Lexington Mayor Jim Gray. Marathon Health will provide government employees and their families with its MedicalHome@Work™ model, which includes primary care, occupational medicine, health assessments, health coaching, and disease management.

LFUCG contracted with Marathon Health to increase health awareness and give employees immediate access to programs that will help them pursue healthier lifestyles. The Marathon Health model moves away from 'sick care' toward a solution focused on the whole person, not just their symptoms. Mayor Gray said the LFUCG decided to become an early adopter of the onsite healthcare model because healthier employees are happier and more productive.

"As a governmental entity, we are in the business of efficiency, and the onsite healthcare system delivers high-quality care for our employees and has the added benefit of reducing our healthcare costs in the long run," Gray said. "Picking a vendor was difficult, and we put every candidate through the wringer, which is especially necessary when you're dealing with public money. Marathon Health's mission and technology aligned with our mission, and we can't wait to kick off this new venture."

L. Briggs Cochran, president of Benefit Insurance Marketing, which LFUCG engaged for strategic planning and employee benefit consulting, said he applauded LFUCG's forward thinking to embrace employee health improvement as their primary focus for maintaining a sustainable healthcare plan.

"Marathon Health's expertise is ideally aligned to help LFUCG achieve their ultimate goals," Cochran said. "Marathon Health has the technology to identify health risks and create detailed electronic reports so LFUCG can easily see where significant changes are being made."

Marathon Health CEO Jerry Ford said the MedicalHome@Work™ solution is the next generation in health management and his team is eager to provide this solution to the employees, retirees and families of LFUCG.

"We're hearing more and more interest from municipalities looking to bring onsite health coaching to their employees," Ford said. "Mayor Gray and the LFUCG Council deserve a lot of credit for giving health and wellness such a high priority."