"New Report Defines The Value Of Disease Management Programs"
There is much interest in focusing on a standard, industry-wide definition of disease management today. A new executive briefing, "Defining the Value of Disease Management: How Health Plans Are Aiming Form Improved Outcomes, Healthier Members And Cost Savings," has been developed by the Managed Care Information Center.
Manasquan, NJ (PRWEB) December 14, 2003
Although disease management (DM) programs have become a staple of many healthcare plans, providing their worth financially is a goal not yet accomplished.
The reason is simple; there is no universally accepted set of outcome metrics and standard methodologies for evaluating the worth of any particular program.
But that may soon change as DM providers focus on a standard, industry-wide definition of disease management, according to Robert Jenkins, president of The Managed Care Information Center (MCIC).
The new executive briefing, "Defining the Value of Disease Management: How Health Plans Are Aiming Form Improved Outcomes, Healthier Members And Cost Savings," has been developed by the MCIC editorial staff.
The 68-page special report includes information on DM program fundamentals, such as establishing a program management team, patient registry, treatment guidelines, patient education, patient monitoring, treatment interventions, outcomes measurement, program reports and screening programs.
The report offers advice on how to assess a DM company before signing a contract and looks at milestones the industry has reached by examining "soft dollars" vs. "hard dollars," according to Jenkins.
The report includes the following sections:
Quantifying The Value Of Disease Management In Managed Care;
Key Elements For An Effective DM Program;
How Health Plans Are Aiming To Improve Outcomes, Improve Members Risk Status And Achieve Savings;
Disease Management — The Industry;
Validating The Care Management From DM; and
Disease Management Online.
Also, the results of an exclusive survey conducted by the MCIC, assessing whether DM is living up to its promise for managed care is included.
Details on pilot programs are revealed in the report, noted Jenkins, including the Arizona Medicare+Choice PlanÂ’s DM program targeting patients with congestive heart failure and osteoarthritis, and a New York health planÂ’s innovative DM program serving congestive heart failure patients which resulted in an 83 percent decrease in hospital admissions.
Another pilot program included in the report reduced the length of stay and re-admissions in the neonatal intensive care unit.
"This report provides a ‘cover the bases’ look at what’s working in DM, the factors that go into accurately measuring the ROI [return on investment] of DM and the development leading to accreditation of DM programs by the leading agencies," said Jenkins.
More details about the report or to order a copy, is available at: www. healthresourcesonline. com/managed_care/dmrpt. htm (http://www. healthresourcesonline. com/managed_care/dmrpt. htm )
For information contact the MCIC,1913 Atlantic Ave. F4, Manasquan, NJ 08736, 1-800-516-4343
Www. themcic. com
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