Michael Duke Joins Nationwide Better Health

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Nationwide Better Health(SM) recently appointed Michael Duke as executive vice president of sales, responsible for leading the company's national sales organization. Nationwide Better Health is the first company to bring together and truly integrate the best collection of health and productivity services that work together, or independently, to meet a wide range of employers' and employees' health and absence management needs.

With health and productivity solutions ranging from health and wellness to absence, disease and disability management, Nationwide Better Health focuses on providing employers with solutions that impact the total well-being of an individual and positively influence health care cost, productivity and absenteeism.

"We're pleased to have Michael join our team," said Holly Snyder, president of Nationwide Better Health. "His experience working with large- sized employer groups, along with national brokers and consultants, will enhance our ability to sell best practice health and absence management programs."

Nationwide Better Health offers employers options for reducing their overall health care costs, while increasing employees' education around monitoring and maintaining their health. Nationwide Better Health was formed by combining the expertise and resources of GatesMcDonald(R), a leader in absence and disability management, and FutureHealth(R), a leader in disease, population health, maternity and medical management.

Duke has almost 20 years of experience in the health care field with the last 10 years in the medical management outsourcing industry, including disease management, health and wellness, case management, utilization management and maternity management. He began his career in pharmaceutical sales and management before entering the medical management industry.

He's held various business development, sales and marketing management positions with Health Management Corp. and SHPS, and most recently was senior vice president, sales and marketing at Avidyn Health. He earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Florida.

One of Duke's responsibilities is the management of the Nationwide Better Health sales team, which consists of Craig Cheston, Melissa Damiano, Sean Graf, Jeff Oldham, Bryan Russo, Todd Squiers and Steve Seggebruch.

Nationwide Better Health, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with an office location in Hunt Valley, Maryland, is already working with some of the nation's leading companies and millions of their employees. The offering is backed by the reach and power of Nationwide(R). The formation of Nationwide Better Health is central to Nationwide's commitment to helping people protect and manage their most important assets, including their health.

About Nationwide Better Health

Nationwide Better Health provides a better approach to helping employers plan their health and absence management programs more effectively, reduce health care costs and increase productivity. Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $157 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks #98 on the Fortune 100 list.

The company provides a full range of insurance, financial and health management services. The Nationwide companies include the country's seventh- largest property/casualty, the fourth-largest homeowners, the sixth-largest auto insurance group, and the country's largest farm owners' insurer. Nationwide Life Insurance Company, the major subsidiary of Nationwide Financial, ranks 11th in assets according to A.M. Best. For more information, visit http://www.nwbetterhealth.com/ or call 866-404-NWBH (6924).

Nationwide, the Nationwide framemark and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Nationwide Better Health is a service mark of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

   Contacts:
   Terri Wearsch   (614) 249-5755
   wearsct@nationwide.com