Medical Network One Offers New
Chronic Disease Management Program

Local Physicians’ Organization Employs Chronic Care Travel Teams to Enhance In-Office Health Care

Contact: Barbara M. Fornasiero 248.651.7536; cell: 586.817.8414; Barbara.eafocus@sbcglobal.net

Rochester, Mich.---March 6, 2007 --- Medical Network One, a physicians’ services organization and interactive health management service provider offering comprehensive disease management support for individuals living with chronic conditions, announces an innovative chronic disease management program for patients with chronic diseases. The chronic disease management program employs a new Chronic Care Travel Team (CCTT) concept to provide a range of support services to patients in their primary care physician’s office, rather than an offsite medical facility or hospital.

Services provided by Medical Network One’s Chronic Care Travel Team include education in self-management practices, group visits involving CCTT members, patients and the primary care physician, and proactive phone calls from registered nurses, lifestyle coaches, mental health specialists, certified diabetes educators, registered dietitians, and physicians. According to Al Juocys, D.O., Medical Director of Medical Network One, the program will initially focus on people with asthma, chronic depression, chronic heart disease, chronic lung disease, or diabetes.

"The new chronic disease management project stems from the recognition that, in the presence of a chronic disease where cure is rare, the goal is management over time to maximize the patient's comfort, independence and quality of life," says Dr. Juocys.

The CCTT serves only patients cared for by physicians affiliated with Medical Network One. The physicians’ organization has 325 primary care physicians, 60 percent of which involve managed care patients. Patients treated by Medical Network One primary care physicians who have one of the six specified chronic illnesses began receiving information about the offerings of the CCTT in May.

"This is a collaborative effort that we quietly launched in 2006 and will eventually involve all of our primary care physicians. In addition to aiding patients, it will also improve relationships with referral specialists with whom we work closely," affirms Dr. Juocys.

The CCTT concept is based on research that was performed at The McColl Institute in Puget Sound, Washington and Stanford University, showing that self-management, group visits and integration of the telephone into the care program work to diminish symptoms, enhance activity and increase independence for patients with chronic disease, notes Dr. Juocys. The research was carried out by Edward Wagner, M.D. at the McColl Institute and Kate Lorig, Ph.D. and colleagues at Stanford University.

Medical Network One physicians and their staff will receive special training and information on working with chronically ill patients, according to Dr. Juocys.

“The program will encourage patients and caregivers to become more proactive in communicating with each other. For example, physicians or their assistants will frequently call patients to discuss treatment plans and care issues before a scheduled appointment, in some cases eliminating the need for that particular office visit,” notes Dr Juocys. “Group visits will give patients with similar illnesses and issues an opportunity to set agendas for talking with their physicians and each other to learn more about effective ways to cope with their health problems.”

“Our studies show that patients consistently say they learn most about how to cope with long-term illness and get on with their lives from their fellow patients. We want to give our patients an opportunity to meet with their peers in a safe, educationally relevant surrounding and to help ourselves, as physicians, improve our medical practices," continues Dr. Juocys, who runs a family practice in Rochester and was named the 2006 Family Physician of the Year by the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Family Physicians.

Medical Network One senior physicians playing a leadership role in the CCTT include Andrew Athens, D.O. of the Athens Clinic in Southgate; David Everingham, D.O. and Craig Everingham, D.O. of the Everingham Clinic in Romulus; Shailajla Rastogi, M.D. of the Country Creek Family Physician Group in Oakland Township; and, Herbert Smitherman, M.D., chairman of the Community Medicine Department at Wayne State University.

Dr. Juocys adds that this new program can serve as a model for managing many diseases, including obesity. “Eventually, we might be able to provide well-child checks for parents and their young children, who could be physically examined during a breakout of a group session. The availability of hands-on health care during group visits clearly differentiates our program from support groups," explains Dr. Juocys.

The program will also take a close look at how services for chronic disease management can be provided in a cost-effective manner. The cost of the new program, including training, education, evaluation and development of materials, is estimated at nearly $950,000 over three years and is financed through funds received from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan’s Partnering for Value Program.

Founded in 1981, Medical Network One and its chronic disease management division, The Michigan Institute for Health Enhancement, design, develop and deliver high-quality, cost-effective, chronic disease management programs in conjunction with physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, employers and corporate health partners. Additionally, Medical Network One offers administrative support services to physicians throughout Michigan and Ohio. Learn more at www.mednetone.com or www.miteam.org.

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