2008 Press Releases

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DMAA HONORS LIFEMASTERS FOR END-OF-LIFE CARE Forum 08 featured CEO Christobel Selecky HOLLYWOOD, Fla., November 25, 2008 - At its annual Forum 08, DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance today awarded LifeMasters Supported SelfCare Inc., the 2008 award for Outstanding Leadership in Emerging Health Needs for its program offering individuals with serious illnesses support in preparing advance directives. The California-based LifeMasters, one of the nation's leading health improvement companies, works with employers, retirement systems, labor unions, trusts, governmental organizations and health plans to lower healthcare costs by helping people manage risk factors and chronic conditions. It is being recognized for having developed a market-leading program to assist patients with end-of-life decisions that can be especially difficult for those with conditions such as cancer or congestive heart failure. "We're so pleased to receive this award from the DMAA and in so doing bring attention to this critical aspect of our work," said Christobel Selecky, CEO of LifeMasters. "Research shows that individuals with serious conditions frequently do not prepare advance care directives until later in their illness or not at all. Our goal is to provide our participants with support they need to make these important decisions before a health crisis occurs." In 2007, LifeMasters nurses began proactively introducing the topic of advance directives with participants enrolled in its cancer, geriatric support, and end-stage heart failure programs. Patients who had these discussions were less likely to spend their final days in hospitals connected to machines and accruing costly medical bills. "We have learned that building a trusting relationship with a nurse who is highly trained in the skills and techniques necessary to conduct these personal and sensitive conversations is an important part of our outreach," Selecky said. The topic of advance directives may raise cultural or ethnic concerns or cause confusion over the complexity of the documents. After extensive training, LifeMasters nurses are able to broach the subject and help participants determine their priorities and share those choices with family and care providers Within just 10 months of launching the program, LifeMasters successfully assisted 71 percent of participants in its cancer program to complete an advance care directive, compared to a national completion rate of 18 to 30 percent. "LifeMasters Supported SelfCare excels in addressing the unique needs of the populations it serves, and this award honors that tradition," said DMAA President and CEO Tracey Moorhead. "Advance care planning is an often overlooked but important aspect of chronic care management and LifeMasters has demonstrated leadership in an area that needs greater attention." Also at this year's DMAA Forum 08, Selecky will present the results of a study conducted in a Medicare fee-for-service demonstration project in Florida to improve enrollment and engagement rates among those eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. About DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance convenes all stakeholders providing services along the continuum of care for population health improvement, including health and wellness promotion, disease management and care coordination. Through advocacy, research and promotion of best practices, DMAA advances population-based strategies to improve care quality and outcomes and reduce preventable costs for individuals with and at risk of chronic conditions. DMAA represents more than 200 corporate and individual stakeholders, including wellness, disease and care management organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers and benefit managers, health information technology innovators, biotechnology innovators, employers, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals, and researchers and academicians. Learn more at www.dmaa.org.

Media Contact: Abbie Pauley LifeMasters 412-926-7093 apauley@lifemasters.com