NEW YORK and TAMPA, Fla., April 2, 2007 — Health Plus of New York, one of the fastest growing managed care organizations in New York City, and Health Integrated, Inc., a pioneer in health and condition (disease) management, today announced a partnership to assist Health Plus members with managing certain chronic medical conditions. Health Integrated’s Synergy Personal Health Management(TM) program provides coaching, education and support and provides members with tools to help better manage their health and improve their quality of life in collaboration with their physician’s plan of care.
Beginning this month, Synergy Personal Health Management(R) will be offered at no additional charge to Health Plus’ members in an effort to positively impact their health. The program will be branded as "To Your Health, a Health Management Program brought to you by Health Plus," and will address the member’s behavioral and emotional health along with their medical conditions to improve their quality of life.
"This effort will empower our members who suffer from chronic conditions to take a more active part in managing their health in collaboration with their doctors," said Dr. Clifford Marbut, Chief Medical Officer for Health Plus of New York. "This program is consistent with Health Plus’ commitment to providing quality health care programs for underprivileged New Yorkers."
The Synergy program will include a specially trained clinician (Care Coach), who will develop a personalized coaching plan built around an individual’s specific needs. The Care Coach assists the individual in setting goals they want to accomplish related to their health condition(s) and well-being (e.g., greater motivation, better knowledge of their condition, better communication skills, better coping skills) and provides tools to help the individual achieve those goals. The Coach helps the individual identify any barriers that may be preventing them from feeling the best they can and encourages them to clearly communicate with their physicians and follow their treatment plans. Health Plus will offer this program to plan members who meet specific requirements.
"The To Your Health program will help Health Plus members become more knowledgeable about their own health, more motivated to follow prescribed treatments and more able to establish and achieve goals to better health," said Dr. Sam Toney, vice chairman and chief medical officer at Health Integrated. "Through education and support we can better ensure that patients follow their treatment more closely, improve their overall health and are more productive in the workplace and their daily lives."
Health Plus and Health Integrated began their partnership in 2001. Through its Synthesis Behavioral Health Integration(R) offering, Health Integrated provides a suite of behavioral health management services, including crisis line and physician review, for Health Plus’ membership.
About Health Plus of New York
Health Plus, a not-for-profit, multi-cultural organization, is one of the fastest growing managed care organizations in New York City. It was established in 1984 with a commitment to provide coordinated quality health care and improving access to health care for uninsured and underserved families. In its annual review of managed care plans, the New York State Department of Health ranked Health Plus as the top plan for quality in its 2002 and 2003 "Consumer’s Guide to Medicaid Managed Care in New York City." Health Plus is New York City’s leading provider of Child Health Plus, a New York State Department of Health program that offers parents FREE or low-cost health insurance for children under the age of 19. In 2005 and 2006 "CRAIN’S New York Business" magazine ranked Health Plus ninth among the largest health maintenance organizations in the New York area.
About Health Integrated
Health Integrated, Inc. pioneers health and condition management programs, resulting in better mental and physical health for individuals across the care continuum. Driven by a strong entrepreneurial culture, Health Integrated combines behavioral health and modification expertise with advanced analytic and mass personalization technology to deliver tailored outcomes-driven behavioral, medical and disease management solutions for health plans, employers and government organizations. As a result, healthcare economics, quality of life, productivity and clinical outcomes are all improved. Founded in 1996, Tampa, FL-based Health Integrated is URAC Accredited for Disease Management, Case Management and Health Utilization Management programs. The company has also received National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient and Practitioner Oriented Accreditation for its award-winning Depression Care Coaching Program. For more information, visit http://www.HealthIntegrated.com.
CONTACTS:
Kathryn Soman, Health Plus
(718) 491-7493 or
Mike Miniati, Health Integrated
877-267-7577 or
