| Success Of BCBSND Diabetes Control Pilot Program Leads To Statewide Launch
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) said its
MediQHome quality program, an experimental pilot program focused on
diabetes control, was launched statewide Jan. 1.
The program focuses on giving healthcare providers the tools and incentives to deliver collaborative coordination of care.
Traditional disease management programs focus on the
disease. MediQHome is different because it focuses on the patient and
quality of life, BCBSND said.
Patients select a primary care doctor who becomes their
"medical home." That means the doctor keeps track of all that
patient’s health information, coordinates care with other
providers and serves as a single source of information about the
patient’s condition.
The program started as an experiment for BCBSND and
MeritCare Health System in 2005. During this pilot project, more
members with diabetes received recommended care, and emergency room
visits and hospital admissions decreased.
The savings totaled $500 per participant per year. In
September 2007, the pilot program was then expanded to four Fargo
MeritCare locations and included more chronic conditions, BCBSND said.
Collaboration among the health provider community is
critical in the medical home model. Health providers who sign-on to the
MediQHome program gain access to the Care Center information tool, the
technology that enables the tracking of patients’ treatment
information, BCBSND said.
The Care Center tool, created by MDdatacor of Atlanta,
Ga., shows recommendations for effectivetreatment and control of a
variety of diseases and conditions, and whether the patient has
completed them.
MediQHome providers can use the program and technology
for all patients, but will receive a care management fee for BCBSND
members with pediatric asthma, adult or pediatric high blood pressure,
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, coronary heart
disease or chronic heart failure, BCBSND said.
The Care Center technology will also allow the MediQHome
provider to track pediatric and adult immunizations and screenings for
colon, cervical and breast cancer.
Address: Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, 4510 13th Ave., S. Fargo, ND 58121; (701) 282-1100, www.bcbsnd.com.
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