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Posted September 26, 2007
Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare: Business News
Harvard Medical School Faculty Approves the Clinical Content of ActiveHealth's Care Considerations
Panel also approves ActiveHealth's application of the evidence in medical literature.
New York, NY, August 22, 2007 — ActiveHealth Management (ActiveHealth®), a clinically-based, technologically-driven health management services company, announced today that physicians on the Harvard Medical School (HMS) faculty have reviewed and agree with the clinical content of the company's Care Considerations and ActiveHealth's application of the evidence in the medical literature.
"Over the past 12 months, members of the faculty have worked closely with members of ActiveHealth's clinical team to conduct a thorough examination of the company's Care Considerations," said Howard LeWine, MD, instructor of medicine and head of the Care Consideration review panel at Harvard Medical School. "Our team found that there was a rigorous process by which the Care Considerations were created, and we agreed with the clinical content and judgments made in each Care Consideration."
Members of the HMS faculty, both specialists and generalists, analyzed each of ActiveHealth's more than 700 evidence-based clinical alerts for accuracy and clinical relevance. As new Care Considerations are developed, these physicians will continue to review and consult on the content and application of the literature. The members of the HMS faculty reviewed only the content of the Care Considerations, not their application to specific patients.
Care Considerations are the product of ActiveHealth's CareEngine® System, the company's patented clinical decision support technology. CareEngine® works by continuously gathering the medical, pharmacy and lab claims data for 15.4 million members and comparing it against the latest findings in evidence-based literature to pinpoint gaps in care, medical errors and quality issues.
As CareEngine® identifies individualized, actionable opportunities to enhance a member's care, the system sends a confidential Care Consideration to the member and/or the treating physician. The communication typically suggests stopping a potentially dangerous medication or adding a necessary medication or test that hasn't been implemented. Care Considerations are strictly clinical and directed at improved health outcomes. They never include financial considerations, such as brand-to-generic switches.
Example of a Care Consideration: Adding a statin for a patient between the ages of 40-80 years of age who has claims evidence for vascular disease (i.e. coronary artery, cerebrovascular, or peripheral arterial disease) or diabetes, and no claims evidence for a statin.
Reference: Heart Protection Study
ActiveHealth's Care Considerations incorporate the combined knowledge of the most trusted sources of evidence-based literature, such as the guidelines of major medical organizations and large, randomized, controlled trials published in peer-reviewed journals. Each Care Consideration sent to a physician includes key references from the supporting literature and a statement that "physicians on the Harvard Medical School faculty have reviewed and approved the clinical content of ActiveHealth Management's Care Considerations and ActiveHealth's application of the evidence in the medical literature."
The company's Clinical Development Center, which consists of 20 clinicians, including 17 board-certified physicians, two Pharm.D. clinical pharmacists, and a clinical nurse, develops and maintains a current, robust set of rules. ActiveHealth's clinical team holds daily meetings to review and discuss the evidence-based literature. The team updates existing Care Considerations and develops new Care Considerations on an ongoing basis.
"ActiveHealth continually seeks out opportunities for quality improvement," said Greg Steinberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer of ActiveHealth. "Our thorough clinical development process, the comprehensive review by members of the HMS faculty, and the incorporation of physician feedback all ensure a high accuracy rate in the identification of Care Considerations, provide value for the busy physician and further strengthen ActiveHealth's reputation for clinical excellence."
ActiveHealth Management is a clinically-based, technology-driven health management services company. Health plans, employers and government payors rely on ActiveHealth's CareEngine® System Clinical Decision Support, Disease Management, Health Management and Data Analytics solutions to improve care for those most in need, prevent medical errors, reduce hospitalizations and lower medical costs. Over 15.4 million people nationwide benefit from programs powered by ActiveHealth's patented CareEngine® System. Founded in 1998, ActiveHealth is headquartered in New York City with locations in Chantilly, VA, Chicago, IL, Rolling Meadows, IL, Greenwood Village, CO and Beachwood, OH.Ý For more information, please visit www.activehealth.net.
Harvard Medical School has more than 9,000 faculty working in eight academic departments based at the School's Boston quadrangle or in one of 47 academic departments at 18 Harvard teaching hospitals and research institutes. Those Harvard hospitals and research institutions include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, The CBR Institute for Biomedical Research, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Forsyth Institute, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Joslin Diabetes Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, McLean Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and the VA Boston Healthcare System.
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