LifeMasters Improves Health of Medicare and Medicaid Recipients in Florida

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicare recipients participating
in a large-scale disease management program in south Florida have experienced
improvements in managing serious conditions like diabetes and congestive heart
failure (CHF), according to research by LifeMasters Supported Self Care, Inc.
to be released at the DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance's annual Forum 08 on
Sept. 7 and 8 in Hollywood, Fla.
A national provider of health improvement services, LifeMasters is working
with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on a demonstration
project in multiple counties designed to measure the effectiveness of a
disease management program in a Medicare fee-for-service population. The
program is available to beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicare and
Medicaid and who have congestive heart failure (CHF) or any combination of
CHF, diabetes and coronary heart disease.
Results show that the number of individuals actively participating in the
program has steadily increased as new recruitment strategies have been
incorporated. This increase in participation has led to greater health
improvements the longer these individuals remain in the program. The goal is
to ultimately reduce the number of hospitalizations and overall healthcare
costs.
"LifeMasters has worked successfully with CMS to develop creative and
innovative interventions to help a group of people facing a difficult set of
circumstances," said LifeMasters CEO Christobel Selecky, who will be
presenting the results. "We have experienced improvements in enrollment
surpassing our own projections. We know that the longer individuals stay in a
disease management program, the greater the improvements in their health."
LifeMasters nurses work with participants over the phone and in their
homes to help manage their conditions. They may check vitals, review
medication dosages, or help the participant track weight and glucose levels
-- critical information that will be shared with the participant's physician.
The nurses also have the training to identify those individuals who have
difficulty fulfilling basic needs such as food, shelter, or safety and connect
them with community resources.
In February 2008, LifeMasters received an extension from CMS of the
demonstration project. Medicare determines eligibility and who may
participate in the program using a randomized control design. The program is
provided in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Marion, Volusia, Seminole, and
Alachua for those beneficiaries who are eligible to participate and is offered
as part of the beneficiaries' existing healthcare coverage at no additional
cost.
About LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc.
LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc. is a leading provider of health
improvement and condition management programs and services that create health
partnerships among individuals and their physicians. The programs improve the
quality of care for populations with risk factors and chronic conditions and
reduce healthcare cost trends for the nation's leading health plans,
employers, retirement systems, labor unions/trusts and governmental
organizations. LifeMasters offers programs for individuals with diabetes,
congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, hypertension and asthma, cancer, depression, metabolic
syndrome and musculo-skeletal pain. LifeMasters' programs are holistically
focused, support co-morbidities like depression, and facilitate lifestyle
changes such as smoking cessation and weight loss. LifeMasters is accredited
by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and URAC. More
information can be found at http://innovation.lifemasters.com.
Media Contact: Abbie Pauley
412-926-7093
apauley@lifemasters.com

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Christobel Selecky
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=80650

SOURCE LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc.

Abbie Pauley of LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc., +1-412-926-7093,
apauley@lifemasters.com