Case Management Advisor articles from May 2002

Case Management Advisor archives from May 2002

Home-grown disease management programs reap rewards for insurer; plan sees advantages to developing its own programs.
May 1, 2002... When ConnectiCare looked into starting disease management programs six years ago, there were few similar products on the market. So, the small regional HMO based in Farmington, CT, decided to create its own disease management programs. ...

Get on the disease management bandwagon.
May 1, 2002... Whether you're an insurer, provider, or an independent case management firm, you need to be doing disease management in order to keep up with your peers. More than 90 million people in the United States suffer from at least one chronic...

Select where you can have impact on cost, utilization; develop your DM program one step at a time.(disease management)
May 1, 2002... When ConnectiCare of Farmington, CT, set up its disease management programs, the staff looked carefully at its covered populations and chose programs that were prevalent and had high emergency medical utilization. "We looked for conditions...

Measuring your success is key part of DM program; database helps quantify your results.(disease managment)
May 1, 2002... The last and perhaps most important step in designing a disease management program is to develop a way to track your members and measure your success. ConnectiCare, based in Farmington, CT, uses a tracking database created by the company's...

Multidisciplinary approach is key to program's success; case managers rely on instincts, software prompts.(Physician Health Partners)
May 1, 2002... Physician Health Partners' frail elderly disease management program is multidisciplinary by necessity. "These patients' problems are not strictly medical problems, they aren't strictly drug interaction, and not strictly psychosocial...

Be committed, patient with new DM programs; results don't come overnight.(Physician Health Partners' disease managment program)
May 1, 2002... Whether you develop your own disease management program or buy one from a vendor, be prepared to wait for the results, say representatives of two organizations with locally run disease management programs. A disease management program can...

Reminder system prompts CMs to provide education; pilot program part of hospital's QI initiative.(case managers)
May 1, 2002... When the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Richmond, VA, participated in a national performance measures initiative for congestive heart failure (CHF) patients, the administration was not pleased with what it saw....

DM certification available from JCAHO; program assesses disease-specific care.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organization offers disease management certification program)
May 1, 2002... As consumers and referral sources look for ways to assure that the performance of the health care entities they choose is up to par, it's more important than ever for your disease management program to distinguish itself. That's why the...

CMSA revises standards of practice.(Case Management Society of America)
May 1, 2002... The Case Management Society of America is issuing its first revisions of its Standards of Practice for Case Management, originally developed in 1995. The revised standards are available for public comment through May 15. The organization...

CE questions.(continuing medical education)
May 1, 2002... CE questions 17. BREATHE, an asthma program established by Farmington, CT-based ConnectiCare, achieve a return on investment of what percentage? A. 86% B. 102% C. 119% D. 150% 18. Physician Health...

New guidelines issued for arthritis pain.(from the American Pain Society)
May 1, 2002... The American Pain Society (APS) has released clinical guidelines for treating the acute and chronic pain associated with arthritis. The APS Guidelines for the Management of Pain in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Juvenile Chronic...

Guidelines, protocals can improve heart attack care. (Reports From the Field).
May 1, 2002... Following evidence-based practice guidelines and standardized treatment protocols can improve the quality of care in patients being treated for a heart attack, according to a study in the March 13 Journal of the American Medical Association...

Pharmaceutical expense cited in rising health care costs. (Reports From the Field).
May 1, 2002... A majority of health care benefits purchasers cite prescription drugs as the major driver of U.S. health care costs, according to a new study by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). In a survey of more than 500 business...

At-risk patients aren't being screened for colorectal cancer. (Reports From the Field).
May 1, 2002... Fewer than 52% of people age 50 or older are being screened for colorectal cancer, according to a survey by the Cancer Research Foundation of America. The survey also found that 90% of people who were told by their health care provider to...

More Americans facing blindness over next 30 years. (Reports From the Field).
May 1, 2002... As the baby boomers age, the number of Americans who are visually impaired is expected to double over the next 30 years, according to the National Eye Institute and Prevent Blindness America. "Blindness and visual impairment from most eye...

Web site offers personalized information on heart diseases. (Reports From the Field).(Heart Profiler)(www.american heart.org)
May 1, 2002... Patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure can get personalized treatment information on the Internet at the Heart Profile web site, a joint project of the American Heart Association and NexCura Inc. The Heart Profiler matches...