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ICSI Plans Symposium on New Depression Treatment Program That Is Improving Patient Outcomes Five-Fold Over Typical Primary Care

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 July 2009, 10:37 CDT

BLOOMINGTON, Minn., July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) will hold a symposium here on October 5 to explain how its DIAMOND program is dramatically improving patient outcomes and lowering the cost of care for patients with depression.

The DIAMOND program changes how care for the patient with depression is delivered and paid for in primary care settings. The symposium will focus on the 18-month experiences of provider groups, behavioral health specialists, health plans, employers and patients with the program. Ed Wagner, MD, co-developer of the Chronic Care Model, will keynote the one-day event.

"Among patients contacted six months after activation in DIAMOND, 43 percent have recovered," said Nancy Jaeckels, Vice President of Member Relations and Strategic Initiatives, ICSI. "These excellent results, coupled with the fact that this type of collaborative approach has been shown to save thousands of dollars per patient in health care costs, as well as improve their quality of life and productivity, have created great interest among provider groups, health plans, employers and policy makers seeking a better solution to managing this chronic disease."

The DIAMOND Symposium will address:

• The evidence-based models behind the DIAMOND program
• Processes used to create and sustain the new care delivery and payment models
• Coordinating the continuum of care with primary care and behavioral health
• Patient outcomes and patient perspectives
• Best clinical practices for implementing DIAMOND
• Health plan and employer returns on investment
• Clinic experience with DIAMOND as a medical home for patients with depression

DIAMOND addresses some of the fundamental areas identified in the Chronic Care Model developed by Ed Wagner, Director of the MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation, and colleagues of the Improving Chronic Illness Care program. Both models encourage high-quality chronic disease management, including productive interactions between patients who take an active part in their care and providers backed by resources and expertise.

The event will be held at the Hilton Airport Hotel in Bloomington, MN. Space is limited. For more information go to: http://www.icsi.org/newdepressioncare/. To register, email Patty Staack at patty.staack@icsi.org.

The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (www.icsi.org) is an independent, non-profit organization that helps its members provide evidence-based, best clinical practices to patients in Minnesota and surrounding states. Founded in 1993, ICSI today is funded by seven Minnesota health plans, and is comprised of 54 dues-paying medical groups representing 9,000 physicians. Its innovative and demonstrated processes enable ICSI to unite diverse stakeholders to collaboratively transform health care into a patient-centered and value-driven system.

SOURCE Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement

Source: PR Newswire

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