Healthcare IT News - November 2008 - (Page 35)

34 Healthcare IT News ■ November 2008 pAYERS www.HealthcareITNews.com S.C. Blues plan targets childhood obesity By PaTTy ENrado, Contributing Editor COLUMBIA, SC – To date, BlueChoice HomE Continued from page 33 HealthPlan of South Carolina has identified 250 children of its 49,061 member base aged 2 to 17 to participate in its childhood obesity program. The disease management program, which began in mid September, incorporates incentives and whole family participation to encourage healthy lifestyle behav- iors, said Tamara Fravel, supervisor of Health Management. Members, identified by diagnosis codes from claims history or recommended by physicians, and their families will receive tips, encouragement and educational material, she said. The program is designed to change overweight and obese children’s lifestyles now to prevent the development of chronic diseases while increasing quality of life, said Rolanda Aiken, vice president of health services. The children, divided into two groups – ages 2 through 9 and ages 10 to 17 – are given a voucher to see a registered network dietician. The older age group participants receive a $15 gift card to an athletic-themed store. “We tried to make this as accessible as possible and remove any cost barriers,” Aiken said. Physicians and registered network dieticians will coach the participants. The program was announced at physician conferences, in physician newsletters and on its Web site for members and physicians. “We will continue to identify opportunities to promote the program to pediatricians and PCPs,” said Fravel. ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: obeSitY 1108 ● data in unstructured fields,” he said. Care Center will track standard metrics for diabetes care, as well as lab results, body mass index and medication compliance and adherence. “We are providing relevant Dave Hanekom, MD clinical data at the point of care,” Hanekom said. BCBSND’s goal is to show improvement in the quality of care within 24 months, with the anticipation of cost benefits in the long term, he said. “The overall trend is to get the primary care physician back in the game in a meaningful way,” said Heather McLarney, vice president of sales and marketing for MDdatacor. Anyone with a chronic condition should have a medical home with a physician as the leader of the care team, said Tracey Moorhead, president and CEO, DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance. This concept, however, requires considerable resources with healthcare IT and redesign, including data exchange and analysis and patient engagement and coordination, she said. BCBSND has solved the IT and financial barriers by funding the Web-based application that enables clinical data exchange, Hanekom noted. ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: HoMe 1108 ● axoloTl Continued from page 33 cessful, Bass said. “You could see the light bulbs going on,” she said. Steve Martin, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, agreed. For a not-for-profit health plan, health information exchange to improve quality of care is a worthwhile investment. BCBS of Nebraska funded $3 million in planning and $500,000 in operations. “You have to have skin in the game to participate,” he said. Patterned after the Rochester RHIO’s business model, NeHII’s funding distribution is “appropriately weighted, with hardly any financial demand on doctors,” Martin said, which appeals to provider stakeholders. Alegent Health Systems, the largest not-for-profit, integrated health system in Nebraska, is another NeHII stakeholder. Michael Wescott, MD, CMIO of Alegent Health Systems, said stakeholder tension over benefits and control surfaced. “There were gaps of trust,” he said, which were addressed in a two-day intense facilitation event. ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: axolotl 1108 ● e ● Connect: iNgeNix 1108 http://www.fujimed.com http://www.fujimed.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=10347

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Healthcare IT News - November 2008 Contents $700M Strong PHR Power Stepping It Up Geo IT EMRs Go Rural HiMSS Insider: Making a Difference Home for the Blues Merge Amnesty Management Solutions: Outsourcing Appeal Clinical Toolkit: Enterprise PACS

Healthcare IT News - November 2008

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