Tip of the Day: Remember dependents may need DM, too

As childhood obesity threatens the nation as significantly as adult obesity, two Blues plans have launched obesity disease management programs to help their youngest members get back on a healthy track.

Although most employers' wellness and DM efforts may be targeting their parents, a recent report from EBN reminds that you're paying for the health risks and illnesses of obese kids as well, and a DM revamp may be just what the doctor (pediatrician?) ordered.

Are dependents covered under your company's DM or wellness program? What specific interventions do you conduct for children? Comment and let us know.

Tip of the Day: Measure your disease management provider satisfaction

A new survey tool from DMAA allows employers, health plans, disease management companies and other stakeholders to better understand providers' experiences with and attitudes toward population health improvement programs. The organization developed the tool because the "success of disease management, wellness and other population-based interventions can depend on the satisfaction of providers, who play an important role by referring patients and managing and coordinating patient care."

A recent DMAA survey shows that physician engagement was ranked among the three strongest determinants of program success."The better we understand provider attitudes toward population health management, the better able we are to make program changes that enhance that relationship and improve patient care," says DMAA President and CEO Tracey Moorhead. "Health care purchasers value patient and provider satisfaction. Our survey provides a simple, validated tool to measure that."

The tool is available for free at DMAA's Web site. Click here to download it.