Where’s the beef?
Where’s the beef?
Glitzy reports aside, what do vendors offer?
Disease management consulting companies are springing up nationwide to capitalize on this new managed care trend. But many disease management companies offer too many attractive outcomes reports and educational materials and not enough substance, says Peggy Pardoe, RN, BSN, CCM, CPHQ, clinical services coordinator for University Care with the University of Maryland Medicine in Baltimore.
Before you sign on with a consulting company to deliver a disease management program to your members, Pardoe suggests you ask the following questions:
• What is the education and training of the personnel who contact patients?
• How in-depth are patient contacts?
• How frequently are patients contacted?
• How long are patients followed and managed?
• Does the company offer simply a pathway or algorithm, or does it offer adequate support services as well?
• Are educational materials written at an appropriate reading level?
• Do illustrations/educational materials reflect the demographics of your population?
• Does the consultant’s program have a case-management basis?
• How much time and money are you willing to invest for a quality disease management approach?
"Disease management is a new phrase, but it is not a new concept, It is based on true care management. To work, it must have a proactive case management approach across the entire continuum of the illness," Pardoe says.
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