LifeMasters Offers Disease Management Services to Ford Motor Company Employees and United Auto Workers Members
- Services Provided as Part of Ford's Healthy Highway Wellness Program -
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 17 -- LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc., a leading provider of disease management programs, announced today that it has signed an agreement to offer disease management services to eligible employees of Ford Motor Company and members of United Auto Workers (UAW). The services are provided through Healthy Highway, a program offered by Ford in conjunction with UAW, to motivate employees to develop and maintain healthy habits.
In 2006, approximately 30 percent of Ford's hourly and salaried employees were diagnosed with one or more of the country's top five chronic conditions -- such as diabetes, asthma or coronary artery disease -- which account for about 61 percent of Ford's total healthcare-related costs.
Under the contract, Ford employees and UAW members with asthma, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure and lower back pain will have access to LifeMasters' full array of customized disease management services. As part of the program, LifeMasters assigns a health coach to work one-on-one with each program participant to educate them about their chronic condition and what they can do to improve their health and minimize complications.
"It is great to see that large employers, such as Ford, are increasingly adopting health improvement programs to give employees the tools they need to stay healthy," said Christobel E. Selecky, chief executive officer at LifeMasters. "We're excited about providing our expertise to support Ford's Healthy Highway initiative and assist in reducing healthcare costs while improving the lives of its employees."
Program participants learn how to monitor their vital signs and symptoms to detect early changes in their health status, such as blood glucose levels and blood pressure. An integral part of the program also includes integrating the members' physicians by alerting them to significant changes in their patient's health between office visits so they can intervene early to avoid emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
Introduced on March 1, 2007, Ford's Healthy Highway is a free, confidential and voluntary wellness program for Ford employees and their eligible dependents enrolled in Blue Cross National PPO, a self-insured PPO plan, or Ford FMP/CMP. It offers a wide range of components designed to complement the care employees receive from their doctors.
About LifeMasters Supported SelfCare
LifeMasters Supported SelfCare, Inc. is a leading provider of disease management programs and services that create health partnerships among individuals, their physicians and payors. Its mission is to empower individuals to achieve and maintain optimal health. The programs improve quality of care for people with chronic illnesses, reduce chronic-disease costs for payors and provide decision-support tools for physicians. LifeMasters offers programs for individuals with diabetes, congestive heart failure (CHF), coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension and asthma (all of which are fully accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and URAC) and musculo-skeletal pain. LifeMasters' programs are holistically focused, support co-morbidities such as depression and facilitate lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation and weight loss. LifeMasters provides services to nearly 650,000 people throughout the nation.
Founded in 1994 by a physician, LifeMasters works with some of the nation's leading health plans, employers, retirement systems and governmental organizations, including Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, and Presbyterian Health Services in New Mexico. More information about LifeMasters can be found at www.lifemasters.com or by calling 1-800-777-1307.
Media Contact: Barbara Gideon
650 829-5287
bgideon@lifemasters.com