Provides Hands-On Tool to Measure Disease Management and Wellness Results

Contact:
Al Lewis 781-856-3962, alewis@dismgmt.com

Wellesley, MA (January 30, 2008) — The Disease Management Purchasing Consortium (DMPC) today announced the formal release of the Ultimate Guide to Outcomes Measurement. Produced in conjunction with Ariel Linden DrPH, of the Linden Consulting Group, the guide offers specific recommendations and a ‘how-to’ focus to apply its methodology insights.

The Ultimate Guide follows up DMPC’s popular and influential Return-on-Investment and Savings Methodologies. Peer-reviewed by leaders in the field, the Ultimate Guide provides nine hyperlinked tools, as well as back-up peer-reviewed journal articles, arithmetic proofs, and a unique spreadsheet to put its conclusions into practice.

“People often ask how this relates to the consensus guidelines published by DMAA: The Care Contiunuum Alliance,” said Lewis. “One can either think of it as a ‘how-to’ guide for putting them into practice, or filling in some gaps, or bringing them to the next level. I support the guidelines project at DMAA and continue to participate in that important work, so recommend reading the Ultimate Guide in conjunction with those guidelines to get the maximum value of both.”

One particular focus of the Ultimate Guide is in checking the plausibility of results generated using the actuarial pre-post methodology, as sophisticated purchasers now do. The spreadsheet included with the Ultimate Guide allows one to reconcile the plausibility analysis with the financial analysis, in addition to using the former to directionally validate (or invalidate) the latter. The Ultimate Guide also addresses wellness.

“We want purchasers of DM and wellness services to have the tools necessary to make informed decisions about where to allocate their limited resources, and to ensure that they are getting their money’s worth from these programs,” said Dr. Linden.

According to Dr. Linden, there are several important basic concepts introduced in this guide. Among them: 1) the importance of assessing upfront whether there is sufficient opportunity in a population for a DM program to achieve cost-savings; 2) ensuring that the program intervention is robust enough to lead to these outcomes; and 3) building confidence around the outcome estimates provided by program administrators.

Early reviews from initial buyers have been uniformly glowing. Kathleen Pruchnik of Health Alliance Plan (MI) said, “It is a great paper that highlights so many pitfalls and areas to consider in evaluation.” Robert Scully, M.D., of Health Alliance Medical Plan (IL), said, “Best single paper I have ever read on the subject.”

Qualified buyers may obtain The Ultimate Guide for a full inspection for 30 days, at no cost and with no further obligation unless fully satisfied.

About the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium

The Disease Management Purchasing Consortium International, Inc. (DMPC) provides strategy and procurement services to support the disease management and wellness efforts of more than one hundred health plans, employers and states. The DMPC is led by Al Lewis, who is widely accepted as the founder and most influential leader in the disease management industry. Associate members include national health care accreditation organizations such as JCAHO and URAC, the Harvard School of Public Health, major consulting firms, and investment banks. DMPC also offers Certifications in Savings Measurement Validity, Small Group Outcomes Measurement and Critical Outcomes Report Analysis. Programs and services are available at www.dismgmt.com.

About the Linden Consulting Group

The Linden Consulting Group (LCG) is the industry leader in disease management and wellness program development and evaluation. With over ten years of experience and clients that include purchasers and providers of these services, LCG has an established track record in bringing together both parties to maximize program outcomes. Dr. Linden, a health services researcher with expertise in program evaluation, has written more than 60 peer-reviewed publications on disease management and wellness. In 2006 Dr. Linden won the DMAA’s prestigious “Outstanding Journal Article” award for his paper “What will it take for disease management to demonstrate a return on investment? New perspectives on an old theme.” Dr. Linden holds a joint faculty position at Oregon Health and Science University in the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. To learn more about Linden Consulting Group, please visit www.lindenconsulting.org.