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Kaiser
Permanente wins National Exemplary Practice Award
From American Association of Health Plans, Employers' group
CHICAGO, October 2000 -- At ceremonies
conducted Oct. 12, 2000, at the American Association of Health
Plans (AAHP) Annual Quality Conference, Kaiser Permanente
was presented with the National Exemplary Practice Program
award for its Integrated Diabetes Care Management Program.
AAHP and the Employers' Managed Health Care
Association (MHCA) developed the National Exemplary Practice
Program to identify outstanding practices in the management
of chronic conditions. The goal of the award program is to
encourage the rapid adoption or adaptation of innovative ideas
and approaches to chronic care delivery throughout the managed
care industry.
"The award was accepted on behalf
of all the clinicians and employees of Kaiser Permanente who've
labored for years to improve the health outcomes of members
with diabetes," says Jed Weissberg, MD, associate executive
director for quality and performance improvement for the Permanente
Federation and CMI Board chairperson.
"The program demonstrates the power
that an integrated system can bring to bear on improving the
health outcomes of individual members," Dr. Weissberg
adds. "The program also holds many of the keys that will
allow other health plans to open the interlocking doors leading
to successful care management for specific populations."
"Adopting a care management program
for members with diabetes involves significant changes to
the way medical care traditionally is delivered," says
Paul Wallace, MD, executive director of KP's Care Management
Institute (CMI). "CMI and the Regions have worked collaboratively
in order to make a difference for our members." CMI is
an outcomes improvement initiative that focuses on using the
tools and techniques of care (or disease) management to improve
the lives of Kaiser Permanente members with chronic diseases,
such as diabetes.
The Integrated Diabetes Care Program is notable
on many levels: the employment of the principles and practices
of evidence-based medicine, the ability to harness organizational
economies of scale and intellectual capital, the development
of national outcomes studies (the largest of their kind in
the U.S. surveying 330,000 people) that inform content revision
and implementation, and an emphasis on teamwork and behavior
change at the grassroots level.
Health plans throughout the country take part
in AAHP's annual awards program, which applies stringent standards
and independent judges to identify successful models for measurably
improving the health and life of Americans throughout the
country. Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and asthma were
selected as the chronic conditions for 2000.
AAHP defined a successful practice as: ensuring
the continuity, coordination, and monitoring of the disease
condition; providing care that contributes to superior clinical
outcomes and enhances quality of life; and resulting in a
satisfying experience for the member and an economical expenditure
of resources for the plan.
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