National Business Coalition on Health Awards Grants to 14 Coalitions for Diabetes...

National Business Coalition on Health Awards Grants to 14 Coalitions for
Diabetes Quality Programs
Seed funding promotes diabetes care improvement at a community-level

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- To assist coalitions throughout the
U.S. in implementing and evaluating models for improving diabetes care at a
community-level, the non-profit National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH)
announced the recipients of its first NBCH Diabetes Seed Grant Program. The
program for NBCH member coalitions -- intended to support the initial stages
or further existing diabetes quality programs -- was launched with funding
from Novo Nordisk Inc., with additional support from Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer
Inc and sanofi-aventis.
"NBCH is pleased to support our member coalitions as they do the important
work of convening market stakeholders around the treatment and care of
employees with diabetes," said Andrew Webber, president and CEO of NBCH. "More
than one-third of the U.S. adult population has diabetes or is well on their
way to getting it. Diabetes care is expensive and if we can improve the
quality of that care, we can reduce the cost to businesses and improve the
quality of life for employees."
A variety of programs will be funded with several recipients implementing
the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation's HealthMapRx, a
pharmacist-coordinated, patient-self management program modeled after the
highly successful Asheville Project. Other efforts include adopting Bridges to
Excellence diabetes measures and collaborations with public or private
organizations and employers.
The first round of seed grants totaling $350,000 were awarded to 14
coalitions:
-- Colorado Business Group on Health -- to expand the Bridges to
Excellence initiative
-- Employers' Health Coalition in Fort Smith, Arkansas -- for physician
recruitment for the Bridges to Excellence Diabetes Care Link Program
-- FrontPath Health Coalition in Perrysburg, Ohio -- to implement a
Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Program similar to HealthMapRx
-- The Health Action Council in Cleveland, Ohio -- to develop a health
information Web site with consumer and physician portals
-- HealthCare 21 Business Coalition in Knoxville, Tennessee -- to
implement HealthMapRx
-- Maine Health Management Coalition -- to develop a Bridges to Excellence
transition initiative to further this program in Maine
-- MidAtlantic Business Group on Health in Maryland -- to assist
physicians in incorporating the Bridges to Excellence Diabetes Care
Link Program into their practices.
-- Midwest Business Group on Health in Chicago -- to expand HealthMapRx
through MBGH's Taking Control of Your Health program
-- Nevada Health Care Coalition -- to implement HealthMapRx
-- South Carolina Business Coalition on Health -- to implement HealthMapRx
-- St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition -- to implement the
Diabetes@work program
-- Tri-State Health Care Coalition based in Quincy, Illinois -- for
HealthMapRx evaluation
-- Virginia Business Coalition on Health -- to implement HealthMapRx
-- Western North Carolina Health Coalition -- to expand the Asheville
Project for improved medication compliance to small employers

The coalitions will involve multiple stakeholders at the community-level
including employers, patients with diabetes, physicians, pharmacists and other
health care providers. NBCH will support member coalitions with evaluation and
technical assistance to measure and report the results of these programs.
About the National Business Coalition on Health
Celebrating 15 years of value based purchasing, NBCH is a national, non-
profit, membership organization of nearly 60 business and health coalitions,
representing over 7,000 employers and 34 million employees and their
dependents across the United States. NBCH and its members are dedicated to
value based purchasing of health care services through the collective action
of public and private purchasers. For additional information visit:
www.nbch.org.
SOURCE National Business Coalition on Health

Cary Conway, NBCH, +1-972-731-9242, cary@conwaycommunication.com