Healthways Inc., which yesterday received a commitment of $300,000 in state incentives to locate a disease management center in Des Moines, confirmed this morning that the center is being established to support a contract it entered into with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield in June.



“Des Moines is the front-runner” among four or five cities Healthways is considering for the center, said Kriste Goad, senior director of corporate communications for the company, which is based in Nashville, Tenn. “Assuming things continue as they are, it was a very good sign, getting approval for the funding,” she said.

The call center would initially employ about 40 experienced registered nurses, ramping up to about 100 nurses within three years plus a small support staff. Healthways will provide disease management services, later expanding to wellness services, to Wellmark’s fully and self-insured members beginning Oct. 1.

“We have emphasized local support,” said Wellmark spokeswoman Angela Feig, “so this is a continuation of that concept to have disease management support locally, and then wellness services would follow that.”



The city of Des Moines earlier this month approved a commitment of $120,000 in funds toward the center. Des Moines Area Community College would provide $200,000 in job training assistance.



Wellmark’s agreement with Healthways replaces a contract with Matria Healthcare Inc. of Marietta, Ga., through which Matria began staffing a 60-person “center of excellence” in downtown Des Moines earlier this year. In June, however, Matria announced that it planned to dissolve that contract at the end of this year.



Goad said Healthways expects to make a final decision on the center’s location within the next 30 days. However, Matt Anderson, the city’s economic development coordinator, said Healthways has already leased downtown office space in Capital Square and has been taking employment applications there.