Case Management Advisor articles from February 2002

Case Management Advisor archives from February 2002

Individual case management of chronically ill pays off for insurer: employers contract for special case management services.
February 1, 2002... Under a unique arrangement with employer groups, case managers at Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon (BCBSO) in Portland provide individual case management for people with chronic or catastrophic illnesses who require long-term care, or...

Collaboration is key to success of CM program: referrals come from a variety of sources.
February 1, 2002... The beauty of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon's (BCBSO) Individua program is that the case managers work closely with both employers and internal departments to make sure all eligible patients get the care they need, says Annie French,...

Reports include info on what case managers do: financial savings, utilization data are included.
February 1, 2002... Olivia Warfield, RN, BS, CCM, loves to tell employers how much money she saved them by managing the care of their members. "I am thinking about it all the time. Aside from taking care of our people, we make sure we can save money for the...

Disease management program saves money: technology boosts achievements.
February 1, 2002... A comprehensive disease-management program that combines technology and case management has generated savings of between $450 and $1,700 a year for participating members in the Denver-based One Health Plan. "The health of One Health Plan's...

Customized plan helps learn self-management: kit is geared to member's condition, education level.
February 1, 2002... If participants in Denver-based One Health Plan's CareResults disease management program are at moderate or high risk, they receive an individualized boxed kit that includes literature, videos, and cassette tapes from national organizations...

Program stratifies patients into severity-based zones: results after interventions are dramatic.(One Health Plan's CareResults disease management program)
February 1, 2002... By concentrating on patients who need interventions and gearing the individual interventions to their specific needs, Denver-based One Health Plan's CareResults disease management program in Denver has achieved dramatic results. For...

Get involved with disease management efforts: coordination is the key to success.
February 1, 2002... Your company has contracted for disease management with an outside vendor. That puts you out of the loop, right? Wrong, says Derek Newell, vice president of marketing for LifeMasters, a San Francisco-based disease management company. ...

Insurer's stop-smoking program attracts 12,000: TV ads encourage people to join the program.(Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota's BluePrint for Health Stop Smoking Program)
February 1, 2002... Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota is using television ads to recruit smokers into its innovative stop smoking program. The efforts have paid off. So far, 12,000 smokers (out of an estimated 150,000 covered by the health plan) have signed...

Patient involvement most effective on compliance: study shows phone, mail reminders not as effective.
February 1, 2002... A study by researchers at the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health in Columbus suggests that early telephone and postal reminders do not improve compliance with drug treatment or prompt patients to adopt risk-reducing...

Many elderly patients take inappropriate medicines: patient safety outside the nursing home cited.
February 1, 2002... An alarming number of elderly patients are taking medications that aren't appropriate for them, according to a new study by the Agency for Health Care Research. About one-fifth of the approximately 32 million elderly Americans not living...

URAC releases DM accreditation standards: aim is to address accountability, performance.(American Accreditation Healthcare Commission releases disease management standards)
February 1, 2002... Organizations providing disease management will be able to seek accreditation for their programs when the American Accreditation Healthcare Commission's (URAC's) "Disease Management Standards" are completed in the spring. Washington, DC-based...

Web accreditation program promotes accountability: URAC accredits 13 e-health sites.(American Accreditation Healthcare Commission)
February 1, 2002... Do you know where to turn when your clients ask you to suggest a health care web site about their condition? When they bring up information they've found on an Internet site, do you know whether it's reliable or not? Finding the right...

CE questions.(continuing education questions)
February 1, 2002... 5. List the number of employers currently served by the Individua case management program at Portland-based Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon. A. 6 B. 32 C. 40 D. 60 6. At One Health Plan in...

Out-of-pocket expenses burden those with chronic conditions. (Reports From the Field[TM]).
February 1, 2002... People with chronic conditions spend up to five times more out-of-pocket for health care than people without chronic conditions, according to a study supported by the Partnership for Solutions project. The Partnership for Solutions project,...

Lipoprotein count can predict heart attack risk. (Reports From the Field[TM]).
February 1, 2002... The size and number of lipoproteins in the body can predict an individual's risk of a heart attack, particularly in women, a University of Pittsburgh study has found. "The higher the number of small LDL particles, the greater the woman's...

Support is a factor in how diabetics manage their disease. (Reports From the Field[TM]).
February 1, 2002... Family and emotional support are key factors in how well diabetics manage their disease, a new international study has shown. The DAWN (Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes, and Needs) study looked at the perceptions, motivations and need for...

Booklets offer support for Parkison's patients, families. (Reports From the Field[TM]).("Dear Friends and Family" and "We Are There," from the National Parkinson Foundation)
February 1, 2002... The National Parkinson Foundation, Orange County chapter, has produced two booklets designed to support Parkinson's Disease patients and their families, friends, and caregivers. One booklet, "Dear Friends and Family" was written from the...