Wellpoint Health Services Corp. Acquires WRI Group Inc.

TORONTO, July 17, 2014 – Wellpoint Health Services Corp. (“Wellpoint”) is excited to announce the acquisition of WRI Group Inc. (“WRI”).  WRI, via its WorkReturn and WorkLab entities, is a leading provider of independent medical examinations (“IME”) and a provider of disability rehabilitation services in Canada since 1992.

“We are excited to partner with Jon Pagonis, who is a seasoned veteran in the health care industry as he joins Wellpoint” said Lorne Sugarman, Chief Executive Officer of Wellpoint.  “The WRI team will be a welcome addition to the Wellpoint family of companies augmenting our national services platform.  The acquisition expands Wellpoint’s disability case management service offering and allows us to offer IMEs as a new service line to our existing national corporate customers”.

Founded in 1992, WRI Group is a Canadian health and disability management company with a solid record of outstanding customer service.  WRI Group ‘s Canadian preferred provider network is made up of skilled professional, experienced and qualified expert medical evaluators, some of whom have up to twenty years of experience providing expert medical opinions.

WRI has an excellent reputation for being personally responsive, easily accessible and for having close positive working relationships with their customers, employees and professional expert examiners.  WRI has a long history of being able to develop, understand, and implement solutions quickly and creatively with their customers.

“We have a great team at WRI.  I am looking forward to partnering with Wellpoint and building upon what we have already accomplished,” said Jon Pagonis, current WRI Senior Vice-President.  “I am excited to be able to bring our national services to the customers and clients of Wellpoint.  I believe we can help build a leading national Occupational Health and Safety company in Canada and I am excited to be part of it.  Moving forward WRI’s service delivery and leadership team will remain intact and our clients can expect a smooth continuation of services during this transition phase and beyond.”

About Wellpoint Health Service Corp.

Wellpoint Health Services Corp. is a leading national provider of occupational health and safety services, with 14 locations throughout Canada with 1 in BC, 7 in AB, 2 in SK and 4 in ON.  Wellpoint has assembled one of the industry’s premier teams with occupational health expertise from physicians, nurses and medics and safety expertise from former field-level professionals.  Wellpoint has a national client base that includes exposure to the oil & gas, mining and manufacturing industries as well as all levels of government.  Wellpoint offers a blended solution to patients including family practice and occupational health and safety services with a focus on maintaining a productive, safe and healthy workforce for those that we work with.  For more information please visit: http://www.wellpointhealth.ca/