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New
Computer Model Will Help Solve Complex Health Problems; Fewer
Heart Attacks, Lower Health Bills, Better Patient Care Expected
-- 'Archimedes' Model Would Benefit Diabetes
Patients --
(OAKLAND, CA, October 31, 2001) - Three
major health organizations - Kaiser Permanente, the American
Diabetes Association and Bristol-Myers Squibb - announced
today that they are joining forces to apply a powerful new
computer simulation model to improve the care of diabetes.
The model was developed by Kaiser Permanente
to help health care professionals analyze prevention programs
and treatments, develop clinical practice guidelines, evaluate
the quality of care, improve the efficiency of care processes,
set priorities, and plan research. The American Diabetes Association
has the world's largest network for research, information
and advocacy relating to diabetes. Bristol-Myers Squibb has
developed several prominent oral diabetes drugs. The company
is funding this project and will also provide expertise in
diabetes, clinical research and outcomes research. Kaiser
Permanente, the American Diabetes Association and Bristol-Myers
Squibb are committed to helping the more than 16 million Americans
with diabetes.
"The potential for vastly improving health
care through the use of this model is very exciting,"
said David Eddy, MD, PhD, who with Len Schlessinger, PhD developed
Archimedes for Kaiser Permanente. "It can be used to
explore a wide variety of interventions on health, logistic
and economic outcomes of major diseases."
"The spectre of chronic illness looms large in America's
future. Sophisticated biomathematical modeling systems such
as Archimedes hold the promise of directing our health care
efforts to effective targets, resulting in the greatest health
improvements for our members and the community at large,"
said Jed Weissberg, MD, associate executive director for quality
and performance improvement at the Permanente Federation.
Dr. Weissberg also serves as chairperson of Kaiser Permanente's
Care Management Institute (CMI), which directs the Archimedes
work.
Richard Kahn, PhD, Chief Scientific and Medical
Officer for the American Diabetes Association, said Archimedes
holds great promise for people with diabetes. "For example,
we can use this model to determine how many heart attacks
could be prevented by lowering average blood glucose levels,
or for illustrating to patients how they can reduce their
risk of complications by making gradual lifestyle changes."
"As a leader in diabetes care, we are pleased
to support this exciting new research," said Frank Pasqualone,
Vice President, Metabolics Marketing, Bristol-Myers Squibb.
"We are committed to developing new and innovative ways
of helping patients with type 2 diabetes. It is our hope that
this new model will assist in the treatment of the millions
of Americans with the condition."
Archimedes more advanced than other models
of diabetes
The Archimedes simulation model, named for the
Greek mathematician and inventor, takes advantage of the latest
advances in computing, software design and mathematical modeling.
It differs from other models of diabetes in several important
ways. It is a full simulation, with every person, every doctor
and every piece of equipment being represented and interacting
as they do in reality.
It is written at a very high level of biological detail, the
same level at which medical textbooks are written and real
clinical and administrative decisions are made. It encompasses
all types of interventions: not only personal interventions
like prevention, diagnosis, screening, treatment and support
care, but also organizational interventions such as quality
improvement, care management, performance measurement, and
changes in patient and practitioner behaviors.
It includes virtually all aspects of care, including
facilities, personnel, care processes, protocols, logistics
and costs. It also spans multiple diseases, which is especially
important for a disease like diabetes that affects so many
organs. Finally, it is completely continuous, tracking the
occurrence of all pertinent events at all times.
Because of these features, the model creates
a "virtual world" inside of the computer, which
represents the real world in all-important ways. Clinicians,
administrators and policymakers can use this virtual world
to study health care problems in an abstract but very realistic
form, and then translate the insights into practical real-world
solutions. This enables Archimedes to address rapidly and
inexpensively thousands of very complex problems that would
be impossible to address by any other method, such as clinical
trials, observational studies or expert judgment.
The brainchild of Kaiser Permanente's Dr. Eddy, Archimedes
was begun in the early '90s with support from Kaiser Permanente's
Southern California Region. The project was later brought
under the national umbrella at Kaiser Permanente's Care Management
Institute, where it lives today. The Care Management Institute
is a unique, pioneering institution with a mandate to drive,
fund, and catalyze evidence-based care management activities
throughout Kaiser Permanente.
Kaiser Permanente is America's largest not-for-profit
health plan. Founded more than 50 years ago with headquarters
in Oakland, California, Kaiser Permanente serves the health
care needs of 8.2 million members, primarily on a prepayment
basis. Nationwide, Kaiser Permanente includes about 90,000
technical, administrative and clerical employees and about
15,000 physicians representing all specialties.
Bristol-Myers Squibb is an $18 billion pharmaceutical
and related health care products company whose mission is
to extend and enhance human life.
The American Diabetes Association is the nation's
leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes
research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association
has offices in every region of the country, providing services
to hundreds of communities.
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