Pre 2004 Press Releases

2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | Pre 2004

DIABETES PATIENTS RECEIVE IMPROVED CARE WITH LIFEMASTERS/FALLON PROGRAM, CLINICAL DATA SHOWS

IRVINE, Calif. (November 14, 2000) - LifeMasters®, a leading provider of interactive disease management services, announced today that results from the 2000 Health Employer Data Information Set (HEDIS) measurements show significant improvement in clinical outcomes over 1999 for Fallon Community Health Plan diabetes patients. Beginning in 1999, Fallon patients with diabetes were enrolled in the LifeMasters diabetes management program.

"The LifeMasters formula for successful disease management combines interactive monitoring and nurse support to deliver individualized care that provides patients with information about their conditions, enables them to proactively manage their health and helps them to live healthier, more active lives," said LifeMasters CEO, Christobel E. Selecky. "LifeMasters is proud of its contribution to Fallon’s high national standard of quality care."

Fallon Community Health Plan has been ranked the number one HMO in America four times over the past four years:  twice by Newsweek (1999, 1996) and twice by U.S. News and World Report (1998, 1996).

"The HEDIS results confirm anecdotal evidence from Fallon patients and physicians - LifeMasters diabetes management works," said Fallon’s Chief Medical Officer, Val Slayton, M.D. "LifeMasters interactive disease management program helps Fallon to provide the best care for our diabetes population while lowering costs."

LifeMasters’ health management tools are based on a clinically proven program of patient involvement via the Web and telephonic technology, combining regular monitoring of vital signs, lifestyle modification and patient education for individuals with chronic conditions. LifeMasters clinical monitoring and education programs serve as a communications bridge between patient and physician.

A comparison between 1999 and 2000 HEDIS clinical diabetes measurements show:

• Total hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c) tests are stable in both the commercial and Medicare populations. The HbA1c test is a major indicator of the health status of a diabetic patient and reflects the patient’s average blood glucose level in the previous 60 to 90 days.
• The percentage of patients with HgbA1c values greater than 9.5% is significantly lower in both commercial and Medicare populations. This shows a significant improvement in glucose control.
• Total number of dilated eye exams done for the early identification of diabetic retinopathy has improved for commercial population and is stable for the Medicare population. The number of eye exams done in the Fallon Medicare population is well above other comparable Medicare populations.
• Cardiac risk factor screening has improved in the Fallon diabetes populations. This is evidenced by the increase in the total number of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) tests that have been administered to both commercial and Medicare populations.
• Percentage of patients with LDL values of less than 130 has increased in both populations.
• The percentage of urine exams for microalbumin (a marker to identify early diabetes renal involvement) has significantly improved in both the commercial and Medicare populations. 

A 2000 survey of Fallon members using the LifeMasters program found overall patient satisfaction with LifeMasters at 93% and overall patient satisfaction with Fallon at 88%.

LifeMasters and Fallon Community Health Plan partnered in May of 1999 to provide diabetes health management services for their entire population in the Massachusetts area. Program components include patient enrollment, patient education and training, vital sign entry, behavior modification, nurse supervised patient monitoring, co-morbidity management, longitudinal health records, and decision support for the patient’s physicians.

HEDIS is a performance measurement tool used by more than 90 percent of the nation’s health plans. HEDIS is administered by The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. More than three-quarters of Americans enrolled in HMOs are in plans that have been reviewed by NCQA.

Selecky and Slayton are to give a joint presentation at the 2000 Disease Management Association of America conference this week.

LifeMasters was also recently named as one of the top ten providers of online health and disease management by the Health Industries Research Companies, a company that examines trends in the managed care industry.

Fallon Healthcare System of Worcester, Mass. includes Fallon Clinic, which operates 36 medical centers and clinics throughout central Massachusetts that are staffed by 240 physicians, Fallon Community Health Plan, which has more than 234,000 members and is one of America's foremost health maintenance organizations, and Fallon Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides resources for educational and research programs that improve the health of the communities served by Fallon. Fallon has been ranked the number one HMO in the country four times over the past four years; twice by Newsweek® (1999, 1996) and twice by U.S. News & World Report® (1998, 1996).