Baptist Memorial Health Care recently began offering a new disease management program designed to help colleagues manage five chronic diseases—diabetes, asthma, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure.
Program participants will work with a nurse who will perform a complete health evaluation and work with colleagues to determine their needs. Participants can also receive a device that will send their vital signs electronically to the nurse every day. The nurse will remain in regular contact with participants and can collaborate with physicians if there is a sudden change in vitals or if symptoms develop.
Participation in the program is voluntary, and health information will be kept strictly confidential with Alere, the company that manages the disease management program; Baptist won’t have access to it. Also, participation in the program will not affect participants’ health insurance. Colleagues will continue to pay the same fees they’re responsible for now, and the amount of coverage they receive will not change.
Working with Aetna, Baptist’s third-party health plan administrator, Alere will send a follow-up letter to colleagues who have any of the chronic diseases covered by the program. The letter will have more information about how to sign up for the program.