Care Continuum Alliance Announces Winners of the 2013 Outstanding Leadership in Population Health Awards

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) October 31, 2013

Care Continuum Alliance (CCA) presented the 2013 Outstanding Leadership in Population Health Awards to 14 researchers from Accenture, Banner Health, Carolina Advanced Health, Disease Management Purchasing Consortium, Indiana University School of Medicine, Ohio Department of Medicaid, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Optum, Silverlink Communications, Sun Health, Telcare, and UnitedHealthcare for their contributions to the population health management industry.

The Care Continuum Alliance, the leading organization for the population health management industry, announced the awards at the closing reception of the CCA Forum 2013, the industry’s annual meeting. The association has presented its widely recognized industry awards since 1999. For the second year in a row, along with its customary peer-reviewed process, CCA presented a juried format in which panels of experts selected one presentation from each of four categories, and the posters exhibition.

“The recognized research tackles some of the most current issues on population health and wellness, as well as on healthcare delivery as a whole,” said Karen Moseley, CCA Director of Research. “Given how competitive the selection process was, from the call for proposals to the presentations at the conference, we are particularly proud to honor these awardees’ work, which we know benefits the industry as a whole.”

The awards recipients and categories are:

Novel Approaches to Seniors and Medicaid Populations
Population Health Management and Risk Profiles of Medicaid Expansion Population

With a focus on the Affordable Care Act, this session discussed the issues facing states concerning the most important improvement in healthcare access since the inception of Medicaid. The speakers defined how population based health risk is measured, including health status, behavioral risk, health care utilization, and unmet needs. The relationship between the socio-demographic and health related characteristics of the expansion population was described, as well as changes that states are considering. The potential impacts and care strategies for the populations that have higher risk profiles and care needs were discussed.

Mina Chang, PhD, Chief, Health Research and Program Development, Ohio Department of Medicaid
Lorin Ranbom, BA, Director, Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Improving the Health and Productivity of Our Workforce
Workplace Wellness Study: Employer Insights on Incentives, Programs and Success Strategies

The Annual Workplace Wellness Study surveyed 500 employers from small, medium and large companies across America. The speakers compared three-year trends related to wellness program penetration, incentives, strategic approaches and success metrics. Attendees examined how employers, who have a CDHP strategy, leverage wellness programs and incentives to support behavior change and health ownership. Wellness practices and programs at large, medium and small companies were contrasted across a variety of industries.

Seth A. Serxner, MPH, PhD, Chief Health Officer and Senior Vice President of Population Health, Optum
Beena Thomas, MPH, Vice President Health and Wellness, Optum

Advancing Accountable Care
Banner Health and Sun Health: A Collaborative Approach toward Community Health and Wellness

This session highlighted an innovative model to address population health using the combined assets and expertise of three nonprofit organizations. The speakers explained the methodology used to improve population health in a defined geographical market and described the synergistic partnership and the specific roles/duties of each partner. Attendees gained an understanding of how to model the demonstrated population health outcomes in their own location.

Deborah H. Dahl, BSE, MBA, FACHE, Vice President, Patient Care Innovation, Banner Health
Jennifer Drago, MHSA, MBA, Vice President, Business Development, Sun Health

Innovative Tools and Technologies to Advance and Evaluate Population Health
Transforming the Care and Outcomes of Diabetes Mellitus through Wireless Technology

Leveraging wireless-enabled medical devices to better connect patients, disease managers and providers can improve patient compliance and clinical outcomes. Mobile health (mHealth) solutions play a role in improving the outcomes of chronic illness. Attendees learned how to develop cost-effective mHealth solutions that assist in the management of diabetes, as well as how to combine mobile health solutions with call center-based disease management systems.

David Marrero, PhD, Director of the Diabetes Translational Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine
Al Lewis, JD, President, Disease Management Purchasing Consortium Inc.
Jonathan C. Javitt, MD, MPH, CEO and Chief Medical Officer, Telcare, Inc.
Thomas Warcup, DO, Medical Director, Carolina Advanced Health

International Symposium on Wellness and Chronic Care
Strategy to Tackle Chronic Disease in Spain’s Basque Country

This session explored a successful approach to an international public-sector population health challenge. The comparative differences and similarities of health management efforts were evaluated relative to the current situation in Spain's Basque Country. Attendees investigated specific multi-disciplinary efforts to improve management of chronic disease in an international setting and demonstrated knowledge and awareness of steps necessary to fully affect positive outcomes in a public health setting.

Josep Carbo, Lead for Health Management in Europe, Africa and Latin America, Accenture
Michael Taylor, North America Managing Director, Health Management Consulting, Accenture

Outstanding Poster
Proven Strategies to Reduce Ethnic Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screenings

The research revealed how different ethnicities participate in preventive care and demonstrated strategies to close gaps in care, reducing disparities. Ethnic disparities in colorectal cancer screening rates were presented. Effective strategies to motivate colorectal cancer screenings across different ethnicities were explained. These insights were applied to other important preventive care measures.

Jack Newsom, MBA, MS, ScD, Vice President of Marketing Analytics, Silverlink Communications, Inc.
Patricia Stream, MSEd, BSN, Vice President, Quality Management and Performance, UnitedHealthcare

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About the Care Continuum Alliance

The Care Continuum Alliance represents more than 200 organizations and individuals and aligns all stakeholders on the care continuum toward improving population health. Through advocacy, research and education, the Care Continuum Alliance advances strategies to improve care quality and outcomes and reduce preventable costs for the well and those with and at risk of chronic conditions. Learn more at http://www.carecontinuumalliance.org.