CIGNA HealthCare and Time Life Medical announce agreement for innovative, video-based patient education program; Video series will be made available to CIGNA HealthCare members.HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 1996--CIGNA HealthCare and Time Life Medical announced today that CIGNA CIGNA CG (Connecticut General Life Insurance Company) INA (Insurance Company of North America) Healthcare has become the first managed care company to provide its members with Time Life Medical's new patient-education program, entitled "At Time of Diagnosis." "Our alignment with Time Life Medical underscores our commitment to wellness and patient education programs on behalf of our members," said W. Allen Schaffer, M.D., senior vice president and head of managed care operations for CIGNA HealthCare. "The videotape series will help members understand a diagnosis and the scope of treatment options in the privacy of their own homes. The better a patient understands a specific medical condition, the more informed treatment decision he or she can make," Schaffer added. The Time Life Medical programs comprise 30 videos with workbooks that have been produced by Patient Education Media Inc., under the supervision of its medical director, C. Everett Koop Charles Everett Koop, (born October 14 1916 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American physician. He served as the Surgeon General of the United States from 1982 to 1989, under Ronald Reagan's presidency. , M.D., the former U.S. Surgeon General The U.S. Surgeon General is charged with the protection and advancement of health in the United States. Since the 1960s the surgeon general has become a highly visible federal public health official, speaking out against known health risks such as tobacco use, and promoting disease . The programs include contributions by more than 1,000 leading medical experts and health care professionals. Each 30-minute video and complementary 22-page personal workbook is designed to assist patients in understanding the complexities and medical issues associated with the diagnosis of specific medical conditions See carpal tunnel syndrome, computer vision syndrome, dry eyes and deep vein thrombosis. . "The Time Life Medical series will provide valuable medical information on diseases that affect a majority of the population," said Schaffer. "Because videotapes can be viewed and re-viewed at an individual's own pace, this format facilitates better patient understanding of what can be daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin information." Koop estimates that 50 million Americans each year will be affected by one of the conditions addressed in the series. Some of the topics that will be examined include arthritis, breast canceer, cataracts, childhood asthma, depression, endometriosis endometriosis (ĕn'dəmē'trē-ō`sĭs), a condition in which small pieces of the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) migrate to other places in the pelvic area. , hypertension, low back pain, menopause, osteoporosis, stroke, thyroid disorders and ulcers. CIGNA HealthCare will make the videotapes available to members of its health plans across the country at a discounted cost from the manufacturer's suggested retail price. The videotapes are scheduled to be available March 20. To obtain a copy of a tape, CIGNA HealthCare members will call a dedicated, toll-free order line: 1-800-421-1339. "Today's consumers are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. additional services from their health plans," Schaffer said. "The ability to share complex information about an individual medical condition in an easy-to-understand format will be a distinct competitive advantage for CIGNA HealthCare." J. Keith Green, president of Patient Education Media Inc., said "Research indicates that solid patient education can have a positive impact on health outcomes. It's important to have the video series associated with and distributed by quality-driven health care organizations. That's why we're excited to be working with CIGNA HealthCare." Koop hosts the programs, along with respected television journalists including Linda Ellerbee and Mike Schneider. Each program presents comprehensive information to assist patients in better understanding their diagnosis. Four segments comprise each program: Understanding the Diagnosis; What Happens Next; Treatment and Management; and Issues and Answers. Patient Education Media Inc., developer of the Time Life Medical Series, is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. headquartered at the Time Life Building in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Additional titles will be released later this year. CIGNA HealthCare is one of the largest investor-owned operators of health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations pre·ferred provider organization n. Abbr. PPO A medical insurance plan in which members receive more coverage if they choose health care providers approved by or affiliated with the plan. in the country, serving more than five million managed care participants in all or part of the 43 states, the District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). and Puerto Rico. CONTACT: CIGNA HealthCare Mark Di Giorgio 860/726-4099 mdigiorgio@cigna.e-mail.com or Time Life Medical Ellen Morgenstern 212/522-0052 |
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