Press Release

Manasquan, N.J., USA, December 20, 2005 – When undertaking new initiatives, changing strategy or getting up to speed with the latest industry programs and procedures, it is helpful to know what already works. Healthcare toolkits are a fast-emerging strategy to foster consumerism. And many organizations have found them successful.

Recognizing the increased presence of toolkits and their potential for patient empowerment and education, HIN sponsored a Healthcare Toolkits contest in summer 2005. An independent judging panel reviewed more than 50 print, web-based and multi-media toolkits submitted by health plans, hospitals and employers. A 34-page special report, “Blueprint for Success: Constructing a Winning Healthcare Toolkit Strategy,” features mechanics behind the first-, second- and third-place winners along with the creative teams and processes that engineered success. For more information, please visit the HIN bookstore.

“Our Treatment Plan Toolkit empowers the consumer to direct the coordination of care between the attending psychiatrist and the primary care provider and other outpatient providers,” said Dr. Christy Beaudin, corporate director of quality improvement for Pacificare, who second place in the contest. “We’re hoping it produces a better outcome in terms of receiving community-based care once [patients] leave the hospital.”

Healthcare toolkits appear in all forms—brochures, e-newsletters, computer-based training, pamphlets and online quizzes, all geared to suit individual needs for a variety of disease states and conditions. Whether they highlight disease management, mental health, workplace wellness, health plan enrollment or patient safety, toolkits have the potential to reduce cost, improve patient outcomes and inspire personal health motivation.

“Whether they are in print or electronic format or a combination, toolkits are educational tools whose time has come,” said Melanie Matthews, HIN’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

In this special report, HIN’s contest winners engage in a roundtable discussion around their toolkit experience, exploring how they got started, what they did and why it worked. Representatives from The Eden Communications Group, Pacificare Behavioral Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, first-, second- and third-place winners respectively, combine their expertise to teach healthcare organizations how to optimize the potential of healthcare toolkits. They outline toolkits from production to distribution, including:

• Traditional toolkit components;
• Finding a medium for the message;
• Getting a good read on health literacy;
• Analyzing a toolkit’s effectiveness;
• Motivating toolkit utilization; and
• Planning toolkit enhancements and future trends.

This comprehensive report, available in print and Adobe® Acrobat® PDF formats, describes what it takes to launch a successful toolkit, touching on production, process, distribution and how to garner motivation and engineer positive return. For more information on this product, upcoming audio conferences and related resources, please visit the HIN bookstore.

About the Healthcare Intelligence Network -- HIN is the premier advisory service for executives seeking high-quality strategic information on the business of healthcare. For more information, contact the Healthcare Intelligence Network, PO Box 1442, Wall Township, NJ, USA, 07719-1442, (888) 446-3530, fax (732) 292-3073, e-mail info@hin.com, or visit www.hin.com.

###