Agreement begins third decade of companies' relationship PLANO, Texas and PHOENIX, March 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EDS and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) today announced the two companies have renewed their 20-year relationship. The five-year agreement for the MetaVance(R) Administration and Finance System will allow BCBSAZ to continue to meet industry mandate terms and improve claims processing accuracy and speed, ultimately lowering costs and improving customer satisfaction for its providers and members. Financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed. Since signing the original agreement in 1987, the companies have worked together to consolidate BCBSAZ's multiple claims processing platforms onto MetaVance and integrate processes for HIPAA compliance, among other milestones. Today, MetaVance processes an average of 11 million claims per year for BCBSAZ. "Reaching the highest customer satisfaction levels while reducing operating costs is one of our top operational and strategic priorities at BCBSAZ. Continuing to use MetaVance is a key component to delivering on this priority," said Elizabeth Messina, senior vice president and CIO for BCBSAZ. "We have and continue to look to EDS for their IT and industry expertise." With this agreement, EDS will continue to deliver existing services, which include managing and enhancing MetaVance and hosting the software application at the EDS data center in Sacramento, California. As one of the first EDS clients to adopt MetaVance, the BCBSAZ team has suggested numerous architectural improvements in the claims processing software in use today. EDS notes that MetaVance is a scalable software product used to automate core administrative processes such as enrollment, member eligibility and claims processing for healthcare payers with multiple companies, lines of business and products such as indemnity, preferred provider organizations and health maintenance organizations. MetaVance is based on a flexible, service-oriented architecture and is designed for payers looking to automate processes such as enrollment, call tracking and workflow. The member-centric model supports tailored benefits for both the member and their dependents and supports consumer-directed health plans. "The EDS team takes great pride in continuing this successful relationship with such a well-established health insurance company," said Sean Kenny, EDS Global Healthcare Industry vice president. "We will remain focused on helping BCBSAZ further optimize operations and improve service to its providers and members in a secure environment." EDS has served the healthcare industry for more than 40 years. Today, EDS touches more than 200 million lives daily and performs 2.4 billion healthcare transactions each year, including 1 billion in healthcare claims annually. EDS is the nation's largest provider of Medicaid and Medicare process management services, administering $95 billion in benefits a year and serves as fiscal agent or principal IT provider for Medicaid in 22 states. With more than 7,000 professionals dedicated to supporting healthcare clients worldwide, EDS' global healthcare experience spans payer, provider, government and life science communities. About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is the largest Arizona-based health insurance company. The not-for-profit company was founded in 1939 and provides health insurance products, services or networks to more than 1.1 million individuals. With offices in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tempe and Tucson, the company employs more than 1,500 Arizonans. For information about Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and its community programs such as WalkingWorks, please visit http://www.azblue.com/. About EDS EDS is a leading global technology services company delivering business solutions to its clients. EDS founded the information technology outsourcing industry more than 45 years ago. Today, EDS delivers a broad portfolio of information technology and business process outsourcing services to clients in the manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, communications, energy, transportation, and consumer and retail industries and to governments around the world. Learn more at eds.com. The statements in this news release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding the amount of new contract values, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond EDS' control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. For information concerning these risks and uncertainties, see EDS' most recent Form 10-K. EDS disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. CONTACT: Julie Basa Regena Frieden EDS Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona 972 605 1862 602 864 4046 DATASOURCE: Electronic Data Systems Corporation CONTACT: Julie Basa of Electronic Data Systems, +1-972-605-1862, ; or Regena Frieden of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, +1-602-864-4046,

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