MWW Group Retained by the Association of Licensure-Exempt Ambulatory Surgery Centers

TRENTON, N.J., April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- MWW Group (www.mww.com), one of the nation's top 10 public relations firms, today announced the addition of the Association of Licensure-Exempt Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ALEASC) to its client roster. The ALEASC makes up nearly one of every four ambulatory surgery centers in New Jersey. These are one-room surgery centers that are Medicare certified, not licensed by the state Department of Health and owned solely by a group of physicians.

MWW Group will lobby on an upcoming piece of legislation that will affect ALEASC's ability to refer patients to its ambulatory surgery centers. The agency's success will allow physicians to continue to refer patients of their medical practices to ambulatory surgery centers in which they also have an ownership interest. As written, the bill would exclude physicians from making these referrals, placing their surgery centers at risk of turning patients away.

"ALEASC serves thousands of patients, offering unparalleled and specialized treatment, including early detection of colon cancer," said Michael W. Kempner, president and CEO of MWW Group. "Our firm's Public Affairs Practice will use their legislative skills to help fight for this vital cause, saving nearly 50 ambulatory surgery centers from having to close."

About ALEASC

The Association of Licensure-Exempt Ambulatory Surgery Centers is a trade association for physicians who own one-room, Medicare certified ambulatory surgery centers, representing approximately 50 facilities throughout New Jersey. The association was recently formed in response to legislation limiting physicians' ability to refer patients to Medicare certified ambulatory surgery centers. The association represents one out of every four ambulatory surgery centers in New Jersey.

About MWW Group

MWW Group is one of the nation's top ten public relations agencies and is known for its results-driven approach to public relations and "Aim High ... and Deliver" commitment to client service. For the past four years, MWW Group has been honored with the #1 ranking in the Holmes Report agency client satisfaction survey. MWW Group achieved top rankings in the categories of account leadership, strength of account team, creativity, strategy and planning, and program execution. In 2006, MWW Group was named PR Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and Mid-size PR Firm of the Year by PR News in recognition of the firm's growth, strategic account leadership and industry-leading employee retention. MWW Group is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies NYSE: IPG.