Health Management

Japan and the UK outrank the United States in infant mortality measures

Deaths per 1,000 live births

Aetna examines technology solutions to advance evidence-based care

Start with lifestyle modifications then determine need for testing

A national program aims to accelerate treatment and diagnosis

Plan's data show 1.2% of screenings resulted in cancer diagnosis

CMS has overlooked the importance of identifying not for profit status for consumers in the exchanges

10 Things You Need To Know About ICD-10:ICD-10 presents payers with an opportunity to deliver more profitable and innovative care

PCPs must consider the whole patient with type 2 diabetes, not just the blood glucose, noting that patient weight loss, weight maintenance, and exercise are huge challenges

Stakeholders must influence individuals to become more responsible for their choices.

A tobacco cessation benefit can reduce future medical costs.

Chronic care patients need reminder calls to remain adherent to treatment and show up for appointments

Pre-empt the pitfalls of self-diagnosis with an employer-branded health portal.

Heart disease is considered the costliest condition, outranking cancer. Some 80 million people require care for coronary heart disease

Some employers might need to adjust copay structures overall to achieve adequate compliance.

Hypertension is the leading medical condition, and health plans are finding better ways to increase DM program participation rates, such as Aetna's program tailored to the African American population

The disabled, elderly and poor populations would benefit from Medicare / Medicaid integration, but barriers have yet to give way

A recent study by the University of Connecticut indicates that the cost of low health literacy to the U.S. economy is as high as $238 billion annually. It's imperative that health plans and systems drive new efforts.

Disease registries are gaining in popularity as electronic tools designed to give physicians clinical support to deliver appropriate care.

The continual inability to fall asleep or stay asleep is keeping approximately one-third of the nation up at night. Individuals with insomnia incur $12 billion in direct medical costs and $2 billion in drug costs alone.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of bacterium that is resistant to certain antibiotics, has become a national epidemic, with increasing numbers of serious infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Hospital stays for these infections tripled from 2000 to 2005.

The convergence of rising healthcare costs, increased cost sharing and demand by consumers for more participation in healthcare decisions is producing a variety of innovative health insurance solutions.

The practice of shared decision making (SDM)-the collaboration between patients and caregivers to arrive at an informed, value-based healthcare decision when treatment options have features that patients value differently-is gaining recognition among health plans as a key function of a patient-centric model of care.

An increasing number of studies are linking oral health to general health. While not establishing a direct cause-and-effect, the reports show that early prevention and treatment of gum disease could improve outcomes for pregnancy, heart disease and diabetes.

Although prevention has become a key element in traditional disease management programs-trying to prevent or mitigate a chronic disease before it exacerbates-that may not be sufficient when a patient has a late-stage or end-of-life condition. There is a new emphasis on caring for older adults with multiple comorbidities. Almost 80% of people 65 and older report having a chronic illness, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.