LifeMasters and University of Oregon Awarded Research Grant to Study Behavior Change Models in Disease Management

Research Grant Awarded by Health Industry Forum at Brandeis University

LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, a national leader in providing disease management programs and services, announced today that it will be participating in a research study together with the University of Oregon, to study new behavior change models in disease management. The purpose of the study is to assess whether patient outcomes can be improved by customizing disease management interventions based on individual patient activation levels.

As the concept of promoting behavioral change gains recognition as a successful way to improve the lives of chronically ill patients, the disease management community is evaluating new models to effectively engage patients in managing their health.

Patient activation is a term used to describe the behavior change approach that measures an individual's knowledge, skill, confidence and beliefs in managing their own health. The hypothesis that will be tested is that regularly monitoring patient activation and tailoring interventions based on this information, will lead to improvements in patient activation, clinical outcomes and total spending in disease management interventions.

Principal investigator, Judith Hibbard, Dr.P.H., University of Oregon, will work with Meredith Mathews, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Alex Exuzides, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Outcomes, both of LifeMasters, to conduct the study using a new assessment tool called Patient Activation Measurement (PAM). The study will focus on newly enrolled participants in the LifeMasters program with a primary diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Researchers will use an experimental design with intervention and usual care (the standard LifeMasters disease management program) groups comprising 1,700 patients each. Nurse counselors will be given feedback on patient activation levels and protocols for customizing care plans for different stages of patient activation. The groups will be monitored during the study to determine the impact of this intervention on activation levels, health spending, and clinical outcomes.

"We are pleased to be participating in this research to study new and innovative ways to engage participants in managing their own health care," said David Strand, president and CEO of LifeMasters. "As a disease management leader, we believe in continuous innovation based on advances in scientific and clinical research. By working with nationally known researchers and institutions though this study, we will be able to add tools, based on scientific evidence, to LifeMasters' clinical model for behavior change that will have maximum impact on our disease management interventions. These, in turn, will help us yield the best outcomes possible."

About the Health Industry Forum

The Health Industry Forum is a new program based at Brandeis University devoted to developing practical, market-oriented strategies to improve the quality and value of the U.S. healthcare system through research and consensus building activities involving key stakeholders from industry, academia and government. The Forum in chaired by Professor Stuart Altman and directed by Robert Mechanic. More information is available at http://www.healthindustryforum.org.

About LifeMasters Supported SelfCare

LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc. is a leading provider of disease management programs and services that create health partnerships among individuals, their physicians and payors. Its mission is to empower individuals to achieve and maintain optimal health. The programs improve quality of care for people with chronic illnesses, reduce chronic-disease costs for payors and provide decision-support tools for physicians. LifeMasters offers programs for individuals with diabetes, congestive heart failure (CHF), coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma (all of which are fully accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)), hypertension, and musculo-skeletal pain. LifeMasters' programs are holistically focused and support clinical co-morbidities such as depression and facilitate lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation and weight loss. LifeMasters provides services to more than 500,000 people throughout the nation.

Founded in 1994 by a Harvard-trained physician, LifeMasters works with some of the nation's leading health plans, employers, retirement systems and governmental organizations, including Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (Medicaid) and CMS. More information about LifeMasters can be found at http://www.lifemasters.com or by calling 1-800-760-9261.

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