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DMAA HONORS LIFEMASTERS FOR PATIENT ACTIVATION SAN DIEGO, Calif., September 22, 2009 – At its annual Forum 09, DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance today awarded LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc., its inaugural Quality Impact Award for Innovative Program Design or Delivery for LifeMasters’ use of the Patient Activation Measure in its programs. The California-based LifeMasters, one of the nation’s leading health improvement companies, is committed to innovative program delivery that reduces healthcare costs by helping people manage risk factors and chronic conditions. LifeMasters is being recognized for having developed and implemented a market-leading use of the Patient Activation MeasureTM (PAMTM), a survey tool designed to assess an individual’s knowledge, skills and confidence in playing a role in one’s own health and healthcare. “Through this research, LifeMasters demonstrated that coaching tailored to an individual’s level of activation resulted in improved clinical outcomes and lower health care costs in a population,” said Mary Jane Osmick, M.D., Vice President and Medical Director. “Coaching that is designed to improve knowledge, skills and confidence in a population appears to drive the behaviors critical to better health. We are so pleased that DMAA has recognized LifeMasters’ efforts in researching and implementing activation as a program focus and are hopeful that activation will become an important measure of program efficacy for the population health industry.” The Patient Activation Measure, which is licensed and marketed by Insignia Health, consists of a 10 or 13-question survey that asks people about their beliefs, knowledge, skills and confidence for engaging in a wide range of health behaviors. Based on responses to the survey, each person is assigned an activation score and level. A study in the June issue of The American Journal of Managed Care found that people with chronic health conditions who receive coaching tailored to their level of health activation showed significant improvements in clinical outcomes, and experienced fewer hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room than those coached using traditional methods. The study, led by Judith Hibbard, Ph.D. and colleagues at the University of Oregon, working with Dr. Osmick and staff at LifeMasters, compared the behaviors of patients receiving standard telephone disease management (DM) coaching with those who received more tailored coaching based on their “activation level” as part of a DM program offered by LifeMasters. “LifeMasters' use of the PAM exemplifies its commitment to advancing our understanding of the best ways to engage program participants,” DMAA President and CEO Tracey Moorhead said. “It also reflects innovative thinking, which this award, in particular, recognizes.” Funded by the Health Industry Forum at Brandeis University, the study and its practical applications were discussed at DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance’s Forum 09 conference in San Diego on Sept. 21. The American Journal of Managed Care is an independent, peer-reviewed publication dedicated to disseminating clinical information to managed care physicians, clinical decision makers and other healthcare professionals. For a copy of the study, go to www.ajmc.com. |
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