News Briefs
News Briefs
New company offers self-care management
Milwaukee-based Quality Insights has launched a new self-care management program at Velvac Inc. in New Berlin, WI. The program, designed to maximize the medical management of employees with chronic disease or who have experienced serious injury, is not disease-specific; it directly addresses beliefs patients may have that interfere with their willingness or ability to make changes in their lifestyle.
"Working with patients to improve self-management of an individual’s health is the next step in managed care," says Quality Insights’ CEO Anne Sherman. "Sometimes, individuals need assistance because of conflicting beliefs, deficits in knowledge, or the resources they are provided with are inadequate."
For more information, contact: Quality Insights, P.O. Box 718, Milwaukee, WI 53201. Telephone: (414) 228-9905.
National spine care campaign launched
CCN of San Diego, the nation’s largest PPO, is teaming with the National Spine Network (NSN) in a nationwide effort to improve the quality, cost-effectiveness, and consistency of spine care.
The program is being spearheaded by New York City-based Reliance National, which is offering the new program to its insured clients as part of its case management services.
The program features a system of measuring outcomes and providing continuous feedback, which, according to CCN, is essential to achieving the goal of disease management.
"This approach fits well with CCN’s medical management strategy," says Gerald E. Osband, MD, CCN’s chief medical officer. "By partnering with NSN, we are able to provide a significant opportunity for improved medical outcomes."
For more information, contact: Terry Merryman, CCN, 5251 Viewridge Court, San Diego, CA 92123. Telephone: (858) 654-2202. Web site: www.ccnusa. com.
NCQA expanding oversight to PPOs
The Washington, DC-based National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) will soon begin evaluating the quality of the nation’s preferred provider organizations (PPOs), a large sector of the health care industry that historically hasn’t been asked to account for the care and service it provides. More than 89 million Americans are enrolled in PPOs.
"In health care today, the only entity that’s truly being held accountable is the HMO," says NCQA president Margaret E. O’Kane. "That’s wrong. It’s not safe to assume that PPOs and indemnity plans are delivering good care and service." PPOs far outnumber HMOs — 1,035 to 650.
The forthcoming PPO survey will be adapted from the existing Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study (CAHPS 2.OH) instrument that is currently part of the NCQA’s Health Plan Employee Data and Information Set measurement tool used to evaluate HMOs and point-of-service plans.
For more information, contact: Barry Scholl, NCQA, 2000 L St., N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036. Telephone: (202) 955-5197. Fax: (202) 955-3599. Web site: www.ncqa.org.
Self-care guide addresses alternative therapies
The American Institute for Preventive Medicine, in Farmington Hills, MI, has published an alternative medicine guide for self-care. The publication, Healthy Life Alternative Medicine Self-Care Guide, offers suggestions for relief from a variety of ailments, employing healing techniques that in many instances have been used for centuries.
These include acupuncture, herbal therapy, yoga, and remedies that can frequently be found in a neighborhood drugstore, such as gingko and St. John’s Wort.
To receive a preview copy, contact: The American Institute for Preventive Medicine, 30445 Northwestern Highway, Suite 350, Farmington Hills, MI 48344. Telephone: (248) 539-1800. Web site: www.aipm.healthy.net.
Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.