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FIRST COMPANY TO BRING DISEASE MANAGEMENT TO THE WEB NOW HAS PROOF OF IMPROVED CLINICAL COMPLIANCE, OUTCOMES, COSTS

- Study Findings Show Efficacy of the Internet as Healthcare Delivery Tool -

IRVINE, Calif. (January 30, 2001) - LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc., a leading provider of interactive health management services, today announced the results of a year-long study designed to test the effectiveness of the personal computer as a healthcare delivery tool to access the company’s Web-enabled disease management programs. The study, which included three groups of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), was successful in demonstrating reduced hospitalizations and shorter hospital stays. Additional findings show improved compliance, lifestyle modification, and cost savings.

Study author, and Manager of Clinical Web Programs for LifeMasters, Christine Ruggerio, RN, MSN, will present the full results of this study at the 2001 Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans on February 6, 2001, at 2:30 PM. The featured presentation is entitled “Disease Management and e-Health Can Be Successfully Merged.”

“LifeMasters is the innovator of Web-enabled disease management programs dating back to 1998. The results of this study prove that the Internet can be used successfully as a platform for the delivery of quality care. The Web allows us to give our patients more options and the flexibility to tailor programs to meet the varied needs of the individual among large populations,” Ruggerio said. “Ninety-two percent of the participants in the study had never used a computer before, so a large concern was how they would adapt to the technology. Not only did the technology engage the patients, but compliance with daily data entry was greater than 80 percent.”

The study population was a group of 69 primarily elderly patients with moderate to severe CHF who were randomized into two study groups. The first, known as the “Web Intervention Group,” used a personal computer and the Internet to enter their vital signs and symptoms into the LifeMasters database. Web users also had access to online disease-specific content, community chat, and email interact with a LifeMasters nurse. The second group, known as the “Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Intervention Group,” used a touch-tone telephone to enter similar measurements into the same database. IVR users had access to printed disease-specific patient education materials and telephonic interaction with a LifeMasters nurse. A third group, known as a “Non-Intervention Group,” did not participate in the intervention, but received traditional medical care.

Participation in the study was coordinated by Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz County, Calif. (PMG), and was funded in part by Intel Corporation.

Study findings include:

• Patient Satisfaction: 83% of the patients reported high-satisfaction with the program and 73% expressed a belief that the program was making a difference in their care (combined data for Web and IVR groups).
• Hospitalizations: 20 hospitalizations for Web group (N = 29); 39 hospitalizations for the IVR group (N = 33)
• Length of Stay: 149 hospital days for Web group; 258 hospital days for the IVR group
• Patient Compliance: 84% compliance for Web group; 76% compliance for the IVR group
• Lifestyle Change: Findings indicated positive changes related to diet, exercise, and medication regimens (combined data for Web and IVR groups).

“Overall healthcare claims costs for the study population remained stable, while overall healthcare claims costs for the non-enrolled population increased by over $3,600 annually per individual. This dramatic data reflects the impact of a proactive intervention in halting the expected progression of a chronic disease,” Ruggerio explained.

In addition the study population had a decrease in cardiac claims costs of approximately $2,400 annually per individual, while the non-enrolled population had an increase in cardiac claims greater than $1,200 annually per individual. “This represents a difference of $3,600 in savings per each study participant, and represents a real savings to Physicians Medical Group,” Ruggerio continued.

The study also found that with training and coaching, patients (average age 79) were able to use the personal computer and the Internet as a healthcare tool, as well as to increase socialization. The group eventually used the Internet for other purposes beyond healthcare, such as emailing family and friends, playing games online, researching investments and exploring other interests.

“This is particularly important for chronically ill patients who are often isolated or homebound. Resulting depression can often contribute to the progression of their disease. The study showed that the computer can play a contributing roll in engaging patients and actually improving a patient’s quality of life,” Ruggerio explained.

At the completion of the study, 90 percent of the patients have elected to continue using the computer for Web entry of vital signs, healthcare monitoring and for other Internet uses.

“Intel’s Internet Health Division is pleased to have sponsored LifeMasters’ research regarding the enhancement of disease management through eHealth,” said Deb Cablao, Director of Marketing, Intel Internet Health Division. “Internet-enabled, ‘next generation’ disease management programs empower patients to make positive behavior changes, and have opened up communications between patients and providers. This alone is a huge step in the evolution of healthcare.”

“The LifeMasters study challenged two negative beliefs: First, that bad outcomes were unavoidable for CHF patients. Second, that senior citizens could not master modern electronic communications,” explained Wells Shoemaker MD, medical director for Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz. “The project proved both of those beliefs cheerfully wrong! Beyond the reduction in burden of illness and associated financial costs, the project gave participants a new confidence and enthusiasm in their ability to control their own health status. That empowerment will grow with the participants, certainly, but will also spread to their family and friends. LifeMasters has brought new information, accountability, and speed to the communications partnership between patients, doctors, and hospitals,” Shoemaker concluded.

About the Physician’s Medical Group
Physicians Medical Group is an "Independent Practice Association" of 200 physicians in Santa Cruz, California. The IPA supervises inpatient and outpatient care from the standpoints of quality as well as cost efficiency for a population of 40,000 patients. PMG has brought a number of novel quality improvement initiatives to the community using computerized linkages, including the LifeMasters program, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

About HIMSS
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society provides leadership in healthcare for the management of technology, information, and change through publications, educational opportunities, and member services. HIMSS has more than 43 chapters and more than 12,000 members working in healthcare organizations throughout the world. Members include healthcare professionals in hospitals, corporate healthcare systems, clinical practice groups, vendor organizations, healthcare consulting firms, and government settings in professional levels ranging from senior staff to CIOs and CEOs.