• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Tennessee Medicare Health Support Program Offers Monitoring Technologies, Transportation Services to Participants

Posted on: Tuesday, 11 April 2006, 15:00 CDT

MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- XLHealth, one of the nation's fastest-growing disease management companies, and Greystone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an expert in the development of advanced patient monitoring technologies, have joined forces to facilitate access to health support services for participants in Tennessee's new Medicare Health Support program. Through this partnership, participants in the Medicare Health Support program, which is sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and operated in Tennessee by XLHealth, will be offered transportation services and state-of-the-art home health testing equipment as necessary.

"We've been working closely with Greystone Pharmaceuticals to address issues that prevent Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic health conditions from receiving needed services," said David Hollis, M.D., XLHealth's chief medical officer for the Tennessee Medicare Health Support program. "We've found that these issues fall under two categories - a lack of up-to-date health information and transportation problems. We've simplified these issues by employing state-of-the-art health monitoring technology and providing transportation services. We're confident that our efforts will lead to improved health and quality of life for beneficiaries who choose to participate."

XLHealth and Greystone will provide the following services to program participants:

Home Health Monitoring Technology - to ensure careful tracking of health status and up-to-date health information, participants with diabetes will be provided with glucometers that monitor blood sugar. Participants will use this device for home health testing, and will provide their results to XLHealth's Personal Support Teams, enabling them to track program participants' blood sugar levels, determine their need for additional support, and report that information to their physicians.

Transportation Services - to make completing program visits convenient, participants who don't have access to a vehicle will be provided with transportation to and from XLHealth centers.

"We feel privileged to have been selected by XLHealth to assist them in this important CMS initiative," says Greg Pilant, CEO of Greystone Pharmaceuticals.

XLHealth recently announced the launch of its Medicare Health Support pilot program in Tennessee. The program is available to approximately 20,000 invited Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic illness. Each participant will be assigned an XLHealth Personal Support Team comprising a dedicated local program manager, personal support nurse, telephone coach nurse and local pharmacist - all of whom will work together to support their physicians' care plan. The program will not restrict access to physicians and participants will be able to receive a variety of additional educational and support services designed to help them manage their condition(s) and maintain their health, such as:

- preventive screenings - home nursing visits for some participants - health education and coaching - care plans and goal reports that empower participants to work with their physicians to achieve optimal care - reminders for lab tests, eye exams and other essential services - nutrition and depression evaluation and support - support groups and personal counseling

XLHealth is one of only eight organizations selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to operate a regional Medicare Health Support pilot program. These programs are designed to improve the health and wellness of Medicare beneficiaries with one or more chronic health conditions and will run for three years. If they are shown to be successful, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may expand the programs in two to three-and-a-half years. Beneficiaries invited to participate can call (877) 717-2247 for additional information.

About XLHealth

XLHealth (http://www.xlhealth.com/) has been at the forefront of disease management innovation since its inception. Founded by physicians, many of whom were affiliated with Johns Hopkins, XLHealth supplements the more customary remote telephone "call-center" or direct mail support with ongoing, face-to-face meetings with nurses and physicians. XLHealth also uses tight coordination of care, behavior modification, and in-depth patient profiling integrated with claims, pharmacy, and lab information to generate sophisticated, predictive modeling. The company's programs prevent avoidable and expensive disease complications and hospitalizations. XLHealth was recently awarded the Disease Management Association of America's (DMAA) Recognizing Excellence Award for "Best Disease Management Program: Medicare."

About the Tennessee Medicare Health Support Program

The Tennessee Medicare Health Support pilot program offers free health support services to approximately 20,000 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in Tennessee with one or more chronic health conditions. XLHealth is one of only eight organizations nationwide selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to operate a three-year regional pilot program. XLHealth has developed a unique plan that provides each participant with an XLHealth Personal Support Team to support their doctor's care plans and provide a variety of additional services that make day-to-day health management easier and more effective. XLHealth's program is supported by the Tennessee Medical Association.

About Greystone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Greystone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held international biotech development company with operations in the U.S. and Europe. The company currently manufactures and sells advanced wound care products for treating chronic wounds associated with systemic conditions including diabetes. Along with the new headquarters for the holding company, Greystone maintains corporate offices and manufacturing facilities in Memphis, Tennessee and its European headquarters, through its subsidiary Dermagenics, B.V., in Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands.

XLHealth

CONTACT: Kristin Brunnworth, +1-410-962-6447, or klb@planitagency.com,for XLHealth; or Susan Hadley of Greystone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,+1-901-452-2395, or shadley@greystonepharmaceuticals.com

Web site: http://www.xlhealth.com/

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category