The U.S. spends 65 cents of every healthcare dollar to treat people with two or more chronic conditions — a group that comprises 26 percent of the U.S. population — according to a new report on chronic disease by Gerard Anderson, Ph.D., a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. While more resource intensive, disease management programs for patients with multiple chronic conditions or comorbidities that coordinate resources, monitoring and the health of these patients improve the patient’s total health, reduce hospital stays and lower healthcare costs.

Listen to pre-conference comments from Chad Boult and James Hardy.

During Managing Comorbidities in Disease Management, a 90-minute webinar on November 24, 2008 on CD-ROM, via On Demand Web access or as a recorded webinar on DVD, two industry experts examined disease management programs that improve health and reduce healthcare costs for those patients with comorbid conditions. You'll get the inside details from Chad Boult, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., professor of public health, medicine & nursing and director of the Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and James Hardy, senior vice president of care management services, McKesson Health Solutions, on:

• The most effective disease management models for serving patients with multiple comorbidities;
• The role of technology in managing multiple conditions;
• Facilitating communication among the patient, caregiver, physicians and case manager;
• Developing outreach and education programs that engage and motivate patients;
• Assessing and stratifying patients for custom outreach plans;
• Conducting home visits to assess and monitor health status; and
• Tracking performance and results on comorbid diseases.

Dr. Boult described the Guided Care model, a multidisciplinary model of primary care for people with multiple chronic conditions, designed to improve the quality and outcomes of complex healthcare by improving the delivery system’s design, decision support, access to clinical information, and support for self-management, and by facilitating patients’ access to community services. Dr. Boult is the principal investigator of a multi-site, randomized controlled trial of guided care involving 49 physicians, 904 older patients, and 319 family members in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. Dr. Boult shared preliminary results on the impact of the Guided Care model on healthcare quality and costs.

Here's what participants said about the live program:

"It addressed key issues facing acute care works dealing with multiple patients and chronic diseases," said Lyn Benedict, Summa Health System.

"Speakers provided “very useful…very practical” information, said Brent T. Feorene, president, HouseCall Solutions.

Conference provided "very helpful...how-to information," said Linda Mussey, RN, Summa Health System.

Have questions on our webinar and/or webinar formats? Visit our webinar FAQ.

You can listen to this program right in your office and enjoy significant savings – no travel time or hassle; no hotel expenses. It’s so convenient! Invite your staff members to gather around a conference table to listen to the CD, DVD or the On Demand version.

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS CONFERENCE?

CEOs, medical directors, disease management directors, managers and coordinators, health plan executives, care management nurses, business development and strategic planning directors and physician practice leaders. <

ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:

Dr. Chad Boult

Cultural change and outside support will enable physician practices to deliver medical home services to Medicare beneficiaries with co-morbid conditions.

Dr. Chad Boult is the Eugene and Mildred Lipitz Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He directs the Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care and holds joint appointments on the faculties of the Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine and Nursing.

The mission of the Lipitz Center is to improve the health and quality of life for people with complex healthcare needs by conducting research and disseminating new knowledge. The Center is also committed to preparing the next generation of leaders in this field. Dr. Boult advises multiple masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral students and teaches two graduate-level courses: “Innovations in Health Care for Aging Populations,” and “New Frontiers in Gerontology.”

A geriatrician for more than 20 years, he has extensive experience in developing, testing, evaluating, and diffusing new models of healthcare for older persons. His current research includes Guided Care, a novel, multi-disciplinary model of primary care for older people with multiple chronic conditions. Guided Care is designed to improve the quality and outcomes of complex healthcare by improving the delivery system’s design, decision support, access to clinical information, support for self-management, and by facilitating patients’ access to community services. Dr. Boult is the principal investigator of a multi-site, cluster-randomized controlled trial of Guided Care in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area.

As an expert on chronic care, Dr. Boult has spoken at meetings and conferences throughout the world. He has published projections of the number of disabled older Americans in the 21st century and numerous studies of the outcomes of innovative models of healthcare for older persons. He created the first validated instrument for identifying high-risk older persons (Pra) and co-edited a book entitled “New Ways to Care for Older People: Building Systems Based on Evidence.” He received the Excellence in Research Award from the American Geriatrics Society in 2000. From 2000 to 2005 he edited the “Models and Systems of Geriatric Care” Section of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Dr. Boult received his medical degree from Wayne State University, a master’s in public health and a master’s in business administration from the University of Minnesota. Additional information is available at www.jhsph.edu/LipitzCenter and www.GuidedCare.org.

James Hardy

On-site case and disease managers can engage with hospital discharge planners to reduce readmissions among Medicare patients with multiple comorbidities and bridge behavioral healthcare gaps.

James Hardy, senior vice president at McKesson Health Solutions, leads the Care Management Services Division, which focuses on providing services to the Medicaid, managed Medicaid and health systems payor markets.

With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare industry, Hardy’s expertise focuses on government healthcare programs, healthcare policy development and delivery, quality improvement, cost containment and organizational leadership.

Most recently, Hardy was president of Sellers–Feinberg (now Sellers Dorsey), a Pennsylvania consulting firm specializing in helping states finding ways to maximizing federal support for Medicaid programs, and developing and gaining approval of initiatives to reduce the number of uninsured.

Hardy was deputy secretary of the Office of Medical Assistance Programs, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare from October 2005 to February 2007. He was responsible for the implementation of the disease and care management programs in the fee-for-service system as well the operation of the state’s pharmacy and hospital programs.

Hardy received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Pennsylvania.