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LIFEMASTERS OFFERS FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO FLORIDA PHYSICIANS FOR PARTICIPATION IN DISEASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS Contracts with Health Network One, Inc. of Hallandale, FL IRVINE, Calif., January 27, 2009 - In an effort to further integrate physicians into large- scale health improvement programs in a meaningful way, LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc. has contracted with a provider network to increase physician support for its demonstration project targeting Medicare and Medicaid recipients in South Florida. A national provider of health improvement services, LifeMasters is working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on a demonstration project in multiple counties designed to measure the effectiveness of a disease management program in a Medicare fee-for-service population. The program is available to beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid and who have congestive heart failure (CHF) or any combination of CHF, diabetes and coronary artery disease. Physician engagement in disease management is a priority for CMS, especially in the fee-for-service population since care for these individuals is often fragmented and lacks coordination. LifeMasters has contracted with the provider network Health Network One, Inc (HN1) of Hallandale, Fla. to provide financial incentives to physicians to encourage their patients to actively participate in the LifeMasters program. Physicians receive a per-member per-month fee for each patient engaged in the program, with incremental increases the longer the participant remains in the program. "LifeMasters has always strongly supported the physician-patient relationship through our programs. We provide real time, actionable patient data to physicians through our Health Alerts, which recent research has shown enables them make data-driven adjustments in their treatment plan," said Christobel Selecky, CEO of LifeMasters. "We are now extending our relationship with physicians by giving them a financial stake in our ability to get and keep participants engaged. We believe that our learnings from this initiative will enable us to more effectively support new models of care management given the current focus on pay for performance and the Medical Home." The contract now includes providers in Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties with the possibility of expanding to the other demonstration counties, including Marion, Volusia, Seminole, Alachua, Orange and Duval counties. "It is refreshing in the health care industry to see that LifeMasters is embracing the concept in disease management that the physician is an integral part of the solution to improving the quality and well-being of individuals," says Health Network One's Chief Medical Officer Charles C. Wilhelm, M.D. "Appropriate physician outreach is critical if maximum efficiency is desired in any health care solution." |
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