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Health Plan Recognized for Industry's Best Program
Great-West Healthcare Wins Disease Management Award for 2nd Consecutive Year
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO, Nov. 1, 2004 — Great-West Healthcare, a national employee benefits provider, announced today that for the second consecutive year it has been awarded the Best Disease Management Program for a national preferred provider organization (PPO). It has won the award in 2002-2003 and 2003-2004.
The annual award is bestowed by the Disease Management Association of America (DMAA) upon the one PPO that is the clear leader in commitment to disease management, employing science in the design of its program, excellence in implementation and favorable outcomes using carefully designed measurement methodology. The DMAA is a nonprofit, voluntary membership organization that represents all stakeholders of the disease management community.
“Disease management should improve both the employee’s health and employer’s bottom line, and the award serves as independent validation that we’re meeting this goal for our customers,” said Terry Fouts, chief medical officer of Great-West Healthcare. “We’re honored to have earned this prestigious award in consecutive years.”
“Winning this award in back-to-back years, Great-West Healthcare has clearly distinguished its program as an industry pacesetter in design, functionality and customer service,” said Warren E. Todd, DMAA executive director.
Great-West Healthcare’s award-winning program helps group health plan employees and their dependents manage conditions such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, emphysema, heart disease and premature births. As members use the program to manage their health, employers experience better productivity, reduced hospitalization costs, decreased sick days and an overall healthier work environment.
Great-West Healthcare’s program focuses on improving clinical outcomes for members. Additionally, past experience shows its disease management program can deliver a 2:1 return on investment (ROI) and save employers between $270 and $1,000 per enrolled member per year. Great-West Healthcare is one of only eight health plans in the country to have its savings methodology verified through the certification process of the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium International Inc., which offers assistance in disease management strategy. Unlike other health plans, Great-West Healthcare provides its disease management program to small- and mid-sized employers, as well as large companies.
The disease management program from Great-West Healthcare generates reports for companies that document the level of employee participation, adherence to clinical recommendations and savings. And since the majority of reports are plan-specific, employers can gain a clear understanding of the program’s impact on their health plans’ actual costs. Employers pay only for members who are actually enrolled in the Great- West Healthcare program. This lowers overall program costs and allows companies to see exactly what they’re paying for. Companies also can determine the prevalence of chronic medical conditions, program fees, projected net savings and ROI from member participation. To ensure continuity of care, each participating member is supported by a single point of contact, whether the member has one or multiple conditions. Members enjoy direct access to nurses 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, via phone or e-mail, and all program nurses specialize in chronic conditions and work in conjunction with members’ doctors.
About Great-West Healthcare
Great-West Healthcare, a division of Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, is a national employee benefits provider with expertise in self-funding and health care management solutions. Nationally, the division operates a health care network that includes more than 5,300 hospitals and 515,000 providers and provides health care coverage to approximately 1.9 million people. Visit www.greatwesthealthcare.com for more information.
Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, headquartered in metro-Denver, serves its customers through a full range of health care plans, life and disability insurance, annuities, and retirement savings products and services. It is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Great-West Lifeco Inc. and a member of the Power Financial Corporation group of companies. Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company is not licensed to do business in New York. Products are sold in New York by its subsidiary First Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, White Plains, N.Y.
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