Health Benchmarks Inc. Fighting Diabetes Complications; Disease Management Expertise Reduces Risk of Blindness for Thousands.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

LOS ANGELES--(BW HealthWire)--May 30, 2000

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the United States.

Eye disease can be detected early and eventual blindness avoided if diabetics undergo a dilated retinal examination annually.

"Unfortunately, many diabetic patients have never had a diabetic retinal examination or they have examinations far less frequently than the recommended intervals," said Douglas J. Wiener, M.D., Director of Clinical Operations for Health Benchmarks Inc., a national leader in the development and support of health information services for the use of patients, physicians, health plans, employers and pharmaceutical companies.

"Our experience shows that a simple reminder program will increase the number of diabetics who have the recommended retinal examinations."

In a reminder program designed by Health Benchmarks involving nearly 20,000 diabetics in a large California HMO, the number of diabetics who received a recommended eye examination increased by more than 25 percent. After the diabetics were identified by Health Benchmarks through HMO claims and pharmacy databases, their primary care physicians received the current American Diabetes Association guidelines for diabetic retinal examinations and a list of patients due for an examination.

The patients also received educational materials from the HMO and a reminder to schedule an exam with their physicians.

"Such an intervention has been shown to be effective on both the East and West Coasts," Dr. Wiener said. "It illustrates that by changing the behavior of members and physicians, overall health and quality of care can be improved. For these programs to be successful, however, HMOs and physicians must have a collaborative relationship."

Results of programs designed by Health Benchmarks that improve the management of diabetes and compliance with screening recommendations for diabetic retinopathy have been published in Diabetes Care and The American Journal of Managed Care.

"Health Benchmarks has the experience and expertise to translate raw health-care data into workable solutions to fit specific needs," said Dr. Kwan-Moon Leung, Director of Data Management & Analysis. "This includes the capability to analyze data at all levels, from employer-specific to physician, medical group, health plan and selected study populations."

Health Benchmarks is also a leader in the development of disease-specific report cards with the recent publication of the rankings of several dozen medical groups in California across 18 quality measures in the care of asthma. Health Benchmarks is developing a similar report card for diabetes, which will be published later this year.

Such innovations complement the development and implementation by Health Benchmarks of provider performance profiles in such categories as access, satisfaction and quality of care. These reports are linked to financial incentives based on comparative rankings and improvement over time.

Health Benchmarks has also developed innovative Internet-based applications in support of B2B and B2C solutions to patient identification. Other Web-enabled services Health Benchmarks offers to health-care organizations and pharmaceutical companies include:

-- clinical trials online data collection

-- clinical trials patient and investigator recruitment

-- online health risk appraisals

-- online physician and patient satisfaction surveys

-- disease management programs

-- pharmacoeconomic and outcome studies

-- hospital and physician report cards

Health Benchmarks will continue to develop interactive tools and health-related Internet applications that will be accessible through its Web site at www.healthbenchmarks.com.

With headquarters in Los Angeles, Health Benchmarks provides quality and measurement reporting products and services to health-care organizations throughout the country. Among its clients are the subsidiary health plans of Foundation Health Systems Inc. (NYSE:FHS), the fourth-largest publicly traded managed health-care company, which provides health benefits to approximately 5.5 million people in 17 states. Health Benchmarks also contracts with other health plans and several Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies.