| Pre 2004 Press Releases | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | Pre 2004 |
LifeMasters and Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration Win 2004 AstraZeneca-NMHCC Partnership Award
Disease Management Public-Private Partnership Lauded for Quality, Access, and Efficiency of Healthcare Delivery
Irvine, CA, March 23, 2004 - LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc., a leading provider of disease management programs and services and one of the nation's largest disease management companies, today announced that its innovative disease management program with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has been named a winner of the 2004 AstraZeneca-National Managed Health Care Congress (NMHCC) Partnership Awards.This is the 12th year the AstraZeneca-NMHCC Partnership Awards have been presented. This year's winners were selected from a group of over 100 nominations representing health plans, employers, PBMs, hospitals/integrated delivery systems, community health organizations, group practices, technology vendors, pharmacies, and social/health community organizations.
The award, which will be presented to LifeMasters and AHCA at the 16th Annual National Managed Healthcare Congress at the Washington, DC Convention Center on May 6, 2004, recognizes the partnership between LifeMasters and the State of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). LifeMasters and AHCA have been working together since September of 2000, in one of the disease management industry's first ever public-private collaborations, to provide Medicaid beneficiaries in northern Florida with disease management services for congestive heart failure and all related conditions and co-morbidities including diabetes, COPD, hypertension, and depression. In the first two years of the program, the LifeMasters/AHCA partnership reduced health care costs for Florida's Medicaid program by $12.6 million dollars, representing a 16.3 percent decline in health care costs for the covered population. "We are delighted to recognize the partnership between LifeMasters and Florida's Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) for demonstrating the kind of leadership and direction that profoundly affects health care delivery in our country today," said Kim Slocum, Director, Strategic Planning and Business Development at AstraZeneca.
The LifeMasters/AHCA program is focused on developing customized interventions for beneficiaries to empower them towards achieving optimal health. Working together, LifeMasters and AHCA customized the joint program to meet the special needs of Florida's Medicaid population, factoring in health-related issues and psychosocial concerns that are unique to Medicaid recipients. Equipment such as digital scales, electronic blood pressure cuffs and even telephones are provided to encourage monitoring. Local field personnel help locate and train new program participants and coordinate with local hospitals, physician offices, community support services, and AHCA area offices. LifeMasters nurses are trained to recognize the often complex nature of the beneficiaries' socioeconomic situations and the resulting effect on their health. Together, LifeMasters and AHCA have created a program that has yielded both impressive clinical and financial outcomes.
In its first two years, Florida Medicaid beneficiaries in the LifeMasters program spent 38 percent fewer days in the hospital than before the program began.
More than 8,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in Florida with CHF have received LifeMasters' services over the past three years, with 3,700 currently enrolled. In its first two years, the LifeMasters disease management program generated the following improvements in quality and cost metrics across the entire population (all risk levels) involved in the program:
- 38% reduction of days in the hospital
- Percent of beneficiaries on ACE inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker therapy rose from 58.1% to 76.5%
- Percent of beneficiaries on beta blockers increased from 30.2% to 44.1%
- Percent of beneficiaries receiving an annual cholesterol screening increased from 30.3% to 53.8%
- 25% of participants reported stopping smoking; 40% reported reducing the number of cigarettes
- An average of five pounds per participant was lost across the population with many participants losing significantly more - over 200 pounds in one notable case
"It is interesting to note the increasing focus on disease management as a viable solution to the issues of gaps, disparities and variations in care as well as the continued upward spiral of health care costs," said Beth George, Vice President, Strategic Development for NMHCC. "It is our pleasure to honor LifeMasters and AHCA in recognition of their innovative and effective partnership that has improved outcomes while reducing costs."
"It is particularly exciting to be recognized for our work with the State of Florida, having recently renewed our partnership with AHCA through 2006," said LifeMasters CEO, Christobel Selecky. "Florida has become a model for other states in providing disease management care to Medicaid beneficiaries that results in substantial cost savings and improvements in health outcomes, proving that improved quality and access to care can co-exist with lower costs."
Bob Sharpe, Deputy Secretary for Medicaid, of AHCA said, "It is widely known in the medical community that those with CHF need to keep a close eye on their blood pressure, medications, diet and lifestyle - and yet so few actually do. Our partner, LifeMasters, helps people stay on track with these standards of care by proactively engaging and supporting our beneficiaries and their providers, resulting in healthier people that spend less time in the hospital. We are honored to have our partnership recognized with such a prestigious award."
LifeMasters and AHCA will be presenting a best-practices case study at The 16th Annual National Managed Health Care Congress co-located with the 8th Annual Congress on Medicaid and Medicare on Thursday, May 6, 2004, from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM at the Washington, DC Convention Center.
About The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)
Working to improve access to affordable, quality health care to all Floridians, the state Agency for Health Care Administration administers Florida's $12 billion Medicaid program; licenses and regulates more than 22,000 health care facilities and 25 health maintenance organizations; and publishes health care data and statistics.
For More Information Contact: |
||
| Denise Apcar LifeMasters, Inc (650) 829-6217 pr@lifemasters.com |
||
