Press Releases: Mid-Atlantic States
March 16, 2010
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States’ Guided Care Program Named a Finalist for Three Case Management Awards
ROCKVILLE, Md. — The Guided Care Program at Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States has been named a finalist for Case In Point Platinum Awards in three categories: the Case Management Provider Program, the Integrated Case Management Program, and the Overall Case Management Program. Sponsored by Dorland Health, a leading publisher of professional resources for case management, the Case In Point Platinum Awards recognize the most successful and innovative case management programs working to improve health care across the care continuum.
Guided Care is a model of proactive, comprehensive health care provided by physician-nurse teams for patients with several chronic health conditions. This model is designed to improve complex patients’ quality of life and quality of care, while improving the efficiency of their treatment. The care teams include a registered nurse, two to five primary care physicians, and other members of the office staff who work together for the benefit of each patient. In partnership with the primary care physician, the Guided Care nurse conducts in-home comprehensive assessments, facilitates care planning, educates and empowers patients and families, monitors their conditions monthly, and coordinates the efforts of health care professionals, hospitals, and community agencies to ensure that no important health-related need slips through the cracks.
“It is an honor for Guided Care to be selected a finalist in each of the three categories,” said Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group physician Lya Karm, one of the primary care physicians and principal investigators participating in the Guided Care Program at Kaiser Permanente’s West End Medical Office. “Guided Care is a powerful, yet simple approach that helps physicians transform and improve care for chronically ill patients who need it most, and my patients and their families love it. It is critical that we identify successful practices for coordinating care delivery for our patients. We, as physicians, must partner with patients and nurses to deliver the best possible team-based care and our program does just that,” says Dr. Karm.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University recently concluded a multi-site, randomized controlled trial of Guided Care involving 904 older patients, 49 physicians, and 308 family members at eight locations in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. Preliminary data indicate that Guided Care improves the quality of patients’ care, reduces the use and cost of expensive services, reduces family caregiver strain, and improves physician satisfaction with chronic care. Three primary care practices at Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States participated in the trial and, based on the positive results, have continued to provide Guided Care to its patients since the trial ended in June 2009. The three-year study was funded by a public-private partnership of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute on Aging, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation.
The Case In Point Platinum Award winners will be announced at an Awards Luncheon in Washington, D.C., on April 20, 2010 and will be featured in the April/May 2010 issue of Case In Point magazine.
About Guided Care
The Guided Care model was developed by a team of clinical researchers at Johns Hopkins University beginning in 2002. Research and development of Guided Care has been supported by a public-private partnership of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute on Aging, the John A. Hartford Foundation, the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, Johns Hopkins HealthCare, and the Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care. Some say that Guided Care’s attention to the often overwhelming medical and non-medical needs of these patients is like “having a nurse in the family.” For more information about Guided Care, please visit www.GuidedCare.org. For information about the tools for adopting Guided Care, please visit www.MedHomeInfo.org.
About the John A. Hartford Foundation
Founded in 1929, the John A. Hartford Foundation is a committed champion of training, research and service system innovations that promote the health and independence of America’s older adults. Through its grantmaking, the Foundation seeks to strengthen the nation’s capacity to provide effective, affordable care to this rapidly increasing older population by educating “aging-prepared” health professionals (physicians, nurses, social workers), and developing innovations that improve and better integrate health and supportive services. The Foundation was established by John A. Hartford. Mr. Hartford and his brother, George L. Hartford, both former chief executives of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, left the bulk of their estates to the Foundation upon their deaths in the 1950s. Additional information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.jhartfound.org.
About Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States region, headquartered in Rockville, Md., provides and coordinates complete health care services for almost 500,000 members through 30 medical office buildings in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, founded in 1980, is a total health organization composed of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., an independent medical group that features approximately 900 physicians who provide or arrange care for patients throughout the area. The health plan is considered one of Maryland’s “Top HMOs” according to the Maryland Health Care Commission. In addition, it was recently named “Highest in Member Satisfaction” among Commercial Health Plans by J.D. Power and Associates. Visit kp.org/newscenter for more Kaiser Permanente news.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
