Press Release

Manasquan, N.J., USA, December 22, 2005 – Physicians capitalize on healthcare developments to expand their knowledge, improve their practices and optimize patient care and affordability. The rapid evolution of technology, information and treatment specialization makes it difficult to keep the patient up to speed. But in today’s healthcare environment of consumer-driven plans and disease management (DM) programs, patients aren’t the only ones that could use the information.

As treatment extends beyond the physician encounter, healthcare organizations are recognizing the importance of an interactive, informative physician-patient relationship in fostering effective DM programs. “Partnering with Primary Care Physicians to Improve Disease Management Outcomes,” a November 2, 2005 audio conference on CD-ROM sponsored by the Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN), discusses how health plans can engage primary care physicians (PCPs) to establish more cohesive patient treatment plans. During this 90-minute audio conference on CD-ROM, expert panelists examine strategies, tools and resources to support physician involvement, including case studies to illustrate the benefits of coordinated care. For more information, please visit the HIN bookstore.

“Physician behavior can influence the profitability of DM programs,” said Dr. Maureen Mangotich, medical director, provider and community outreach, McKesson Health Solutions. “They can influence our enrollees' decisions to participate. They are a necessary component for us to improve clinical quality.”

The transition from physician- to patient-centric care has improved the provider-consumer relationship, but the introduction of DM programs highlights a need to reinforce that interaction. Doctors understand patient clinical needs and can pinpoint knowledge gaps for DM administrators. From case history, they have better insight into patient motivation and can suggest what may or may not improve outcome from a DM perspective. Given their inside information, PCPs could provide much valuable insight to DM programs that would positively affect their return. But physicians have reservations about getting involved.

“There are significant challenges in engaging physicians in these types of programs,” said Dr. Mangotich. “Physicians are generally not joiners, and so patients start at a disadvantage if they enroll in a program without involving physicians in the initial decision-making process.”

Mangotich was joined at the conference by Peter Simpson, president, Segmedica. Highlighting the health plan perspective and the latest in medical marketing research, these speakers draw from their different backgrounds in an all-inclusive discussion about the importance of PCP care coordination. They examine:

• Methods to improve care coordination through the PCP;
• Tools and resources that work best to educate PCPs; and
• Case studies on programs that enhance the role of the PCP.

“We need to understand primary care physicians and their patients in a way perhaps we haven't understood them before,” said Simpson.

This 90-minute audio conference on CD-ROM benefits CEOs, medical directors, disease management directors, managers and coordinators, health plan executives, care management nurses, business development and strategic planning directors.

Also included are detailed outlines of the panelists’ presentations, a printed transcript and a live question-and-answer session on CD-ROM in which the floor is open for participation. For more details on related products and upcoming audio conferences, 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 http://www.hin.com.

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