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FLORIDA MEDICAID EMBRACES PREVENTIVE CARE FOR STATE’S CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE PATIENTS

IRVINE, Calif. (October 10, 2000) - LifeMasters® a leading provider of interactive health-management services, today announced its first contract in Florida. Under the three-year agreement, Florida Medicaid patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) will receive disease management services including vital sign and symptom monitoring, health education, lifestyle modification coaching, and regular interaction with registered nurses. LifeMasters will immediately begin enrolling Medicaid beneficiaries in areas 1-7, which represent the northern half of the state. The program will cover approximately 2,000 individuals with CHF, including 600 individuals who also have diabetes, a condition that concurrently affects around 30% of CHF patients.

LifeMasters’ health management programs employ a clinically proven model of patient involvement, combining regular monitoring of vital signs, lifestyle modification and patient education. The company’s health monitoring technology allows individuals to monitor their health from home, with the support of doctor and nurse supervision.

The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which administers the Florida Medicaid Program, has existing disease management programs for HIV, asthma, diabetes and hemophilia and end stage renal disease and is considered a national leader among state Medicaid agencies in the deployment of disease management initiatives. 

“AHCA has shown great vision in embracing the benefits of preventive care for this usually underserved population of patients,” said Christobel E. Selecky, chief executive officer of LifeMasters. “Our program will help the state of Florida fulfill its goal of providing better care at lower cost by keeping people healthy and out of the hospital. With the debate at the national and state level around ongoing funding for government sponsored healthcare programs like Medicaid and Medicare, programs like ours can provide a long term solution by reducing preventable hospitalizations which constitute the majority of healthcare expense.”

“Effective disease management is key to Florida’s commitment to better health outcomes and improved quality of life,” said Ruben King-Shaw, Jr., Secretary, State of Florida, Agency for Health Care Administration. “LifeMasters will give our congestive heart failure patients the tools they need to live healthier lives.”

In 1997, the Florida Legislature authorized a disease management initiative to improve the health and well being of patients and reduce costs associated with patients who have a chronic disease. This program is expected to benefit both the patient, the provider, and Medicaid by providing an enhanced connection between the patient and the provider, making a significant impact on health outcomes and improving quality of life for patients with chronic diseases.

The LifeMasters’ program has been available through participating managed care organizations and health plans since 1994, with an emphasis on the management of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and hypertension - the program covers these conditions alone or in combination (co-morbidities). The LifeMasters program offered through health plans and provider groups offers comprehensive functionality with added service options including nurses who are assigned to each patient.

Additional information on AHCA’s commitment to disease management is available on the Internet at www.fdhc.state.fl.us/Medicaid/Disease_Management/.

For More Information Contact:

Denise Apcar LifeMasters, Inc (650) 829-6217 pr@lifemasters.com