Hanger Orthopedic Group Enters Managed Care Arena, Forms Subsidiary, Linkia

Hanger Orthopedic Group Enters Managed Care Arena, Forms Subsidiary, Linkia
O&P's First Managed Care Organization Promises Accountable Nationwide Network of
Providers 


BETHESDA, Md., March 18  /PRNewswire/ -- Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. announced
today the formation of a new wholly-owned subsidiary, Linkia, the first managed
care organization (MCO) dedicated solely to serving the orthotic and prosthetic
(O & P) market.

"As the industry leader, it is our responsibility to advance the profession to
its rightful position in the rehabilitation care continuum through innovative
perspectives, clinical excellence, and technology," Hanger CEO Ivan R. Sabel
said. "Linkia does just that by becoming the first organization designed to
bridge the gap between insurance companies and the O & P profession.  Linkia
will improve relationships between payers and practitioners."

Positioned to partner with healthcare insurance companies by securing national
and regional contracts, Linkia will coordinate and manage all of their O & P
services and needs.  It will fulfill its mission by establishing a customized
network of O & P patient care providers delivering accountable healthcare
services, through dedication to clinical outcomes, science-based guidelines, and
sound medical reasoning.  In addition to improving care cost effectiveness, the
company will reduce administrative expense by providing simplified electronic
billing and eligibility verification, prior authorization, and professional
relations connections between its MCO clients and the O & P provider.

Linkia's customized network of providers will be selected from among independent
O & P providers nationwide, as well as from the 600 patient care centers owned
and operated by Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics (HPO), the patient care
division of Hanger Orthopedic Group.

"In exchange for a fair level of reimbursement, we are fully committed to
providing our Health Insurer clients and their millions of covered lives with
care that is clinically superior and geographically convenient," Sabel said. "To
achieve that objective, we will hold ourselves and all of our partnered
practices within the network, whether independent or Hanger-affiliated, to the
highest standards of clinical care and patient satisfaction."

This bold new initiative will offer a set of unique core competencies to
prospective insurance company clients and network services to partnered O & P
healthcare professionals.  Linkia builds upon the capabilities of current Hanger
companies, OPNet and HPO, and will be led by an experienced managed care
executive team.  OPNet already has established relationships with many major
managed healthcare organizations and has a national network of independent and
Hanger owned facilities.  As a Hanger Company, Linkia will have access to the
clinical expertise resident in HPO, the world's largest provider of O & P
patient care.

The Linkia management team, individuals with considerable experience in managed
healthcare, will be led by Michael F. Murphy.  Murphy has over 21 years
experience and has been Hanger Orthopedic Group's Vice President of Marketing
and Business Development since December of 2002.  Prior to joining Hanger, he
held senior health plan operations leadership positions with CIGNA HealthCare
and was Chief Marketing Officer for two leading ancillary managed care
companies.

While MCOs are commonplace among other allied healthcare providers, Linkia will
be the first of its kind in the O & P profession.

Hanger Orthopedic Group,Inc., headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is the
world's premier provider of orthotic and prosthetic patient care services.
Hanger is the market leader in the United States, owning and operating over 600
patient care centers in 44 states and the District of Columbia, with
approximately 3,200 employees.  Hanger is organized into two business segments:
patient care, which consists of nationwide orthotic and prosthetic practice
centers, and distribution, which consists of distribution centers managing the
supply chain of orthotic and prosthetic componentry to Hanger and third party
patient care centers.  In addition, Hanger operates the largest orthotic and
prosthetic managed care network in the country.

Certain statements included in this press release are forward looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 
Please refer to the Company's SEC filings for factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the Company's expectations 

DATASOURCE: Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc.



CONTACT:  Investor Relations: Jason Owen, [phone],

; or media: Jennifer Bittner, [phone],

, both of Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc.



Web site:  http://www.hanger.com/

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