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Kaiser Permanente Wins Disease Management Association of America Award for Weight Management Initiative
Behavior Change Programs Help Members Eat Healthier, Be More Active
OAKLAND, Calif (October 27, 2005) -- Kaiser Permanente today announced that the Care Management Institute (KP-CMI) has won the first Recognizing Excellence Award for the Best Application of Behavioral Change Principles to Disease Management from the Disease Management Association of America.
“We’re particularly pleased to receive recognition from the DMAA for the numerous ways we support our members in making healthier lifestyle choices. Engaging and empowering individuals in risk-reducing self-care is key to moving beyond the management of existing disease to help our members truly thrive,” comments Paul Wallace, MD, KP-CMI Executive Director.
In 2002, KP-CMI and the eight Kaiser Permanente regions formed a Weight Management Initiative to address the rising prevalence of excess weight. Numerous programs—largely developed by the regions—now help members make needed lifestyle changes, eating healthier diets and becoming more physically active. More than 1,000 KP physicians and 2,000 community physicians have been trained in techniques to counsel patients about behavior changes. An array of classes is available to members, and interactive online programs include the award winning “Balance” personalized coaching program and 10,000 Steps®. Pediatric weight management programs include Operation Zero, KP Kids, and KidShape. The regions continue to innovate, developing new programs to address overweight and obesity.
The weight management initiative also includes public policy and research elements. KP-CMI co-sponsored a policy roundtable in 2003, and Kaiser Permanente’s Garfield Memorial Fund allocated $2.5 million in 2005 for the evaluation of eight distinct weight management programs. Farmer’s markets at more than 20 Kaiser Permanente facilities nationwide provide healthy, fresh produce to employees, patients, visitors, and community members, and a Kaiser Permanente-wide food policy is under development.
A hallmark of KP-CMI’s weight management initiative is collaboration. “Balance” was developed in conjunction with HealthMedia, and 10,000 Steps® is a joint effort with HealthPartners, Inc., of Minnesota. “Kaiser Permanente has benefited from the expertise and practice of other health plans, community groups, and national organizations, such as the Program for Nutrition and Physical Activity of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kaiser Permanente, in turn, is helping educate and stimulate others around the country who are trying to combat the epidemic of overweight and obesity in the United States,” says William Caplan, MD, KP-CMI’s director of clinical development strategy and weight management initiative strategic director.
The programs succeed through the efforts of many individuals. “This award is the product of all the great work that members of the weight management initiative from all the regions have been engaged in for the past four years to bring successful practices and programs to the forefront for Kaiser Permanente,” comments Trina Histon, PhD, weight management initiative co-lead. Clinicians play an important part in the initiative’s success, too. “The award also represents efforts by our clinicians and medical office staff to do a great job measuring height, weight, and body mass index or BMI and taking time to have positive conversations about weight and health with our members. Weight management is an issue where the personal health goals of members and our clinicians’ desires to improve the health of our members intersect and come to life,” says Keith Bachman, MD, an internist in the Northwest region and clinical lead of the weight management initiative.
Since 1999, the Disease Management Association of America has celebrated achievement and excellence in the disease management community by recognizing individuals and organizations that contribute to its science. On behalf of Kaiser Permanente, KP-CMI has previously received awards for Best Health Plan/Managed Care Organization Disease Management Leadership and Comprehensive DM Leadership. Dr. Wallace received the Individual Disease Management Leadership Award in 2004.
In 2004, the “Balance” program also received the prestigious C. Everett Koop award, which has recognized worksite, community, and provider programs demonstrating success in promoting better health among individuals and reduced medical costs.
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