Healthcare Intelligence Network

Penelope Kokkinides, national vice president of disease management with AmeriChoice, a United Healthcare Company, describes the initial steps in crafting a healthcare risk stratification strategy and what factors can play into this, including type of population served. Kokkinides will join Thomas Ferraro, business development director with Mayo Clinic Health Management Resources, during an August 16 audio conference, Healthcare Risk Stratification: Strategies for Identifying and Referring the Appropriate Service and Intervention.

Thomas Ferraro, business development director with Mayo Clinic Health Management Resources, provides insights on the stratification process within his organization. Ferraro will join Penelope Kokkinides, national vice president of disease management with AmeriChoice, a United Healthcare Company, during an August 16 audio conference, Healthcare Risk Stratification: Strategies for Identifying and Referring the Appropriate Service and Intervention.

Philip Micali, founder and CEO, bWell International provides insights on how employers can educate consumers about health plans options and effectively measure the effectiveness of their communication efforts. Micali will join Marie Dufresne, consultant with the Hay Group, during a July 26 audio conference, Empowering and Educating Consumers for Effective Consumer-Driven Healthcare Plans.

Marie Dufresne, senior consultant with the Hay Group discusses how employers and health plans should communicate with consumers about their healthcare options. Dufresne will join Philip Micali, founder and CEO, bWell International, during a July 26 audio conference, Empowering and Educating Consumers for Effective Consumer-Driven Healthcare Plans.

Robin Foust explains the benefits of having a good mix of wellness champions, from senior executives on down. Foust will join Michele Nelson-Housley, wellness program coordinator, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and William Baun, manager, wellness programs, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, on July 12 during Wellness Champions: Developing a Network of Liaisons To Promote and Expand Your Wellness Program, a 60-minute audio conference.

William Baun, manager, wellness programs, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, describes the typical wellness champ at his organization, how champions contributed to a recent International Wellness Challenge Day and the most effective recruiting practice for new wellness champions. Baun will join Michele Nelson-Housley, wellness program coordinator, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Robin Foust, health management specialist and principal, Zoe Consulting, Inc., on July 12 during Wellness Champions: Developing a Network of Liaisons To Promote and Expand Your Wellness Program, a 60-minute audio conference.

Hear from Julie Baker, director, healthcare advisory practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers, on what is driving the move toward pay-for-performance programs, history on some of the programs in place now and what this means for physician practices evaluating the new voluntary physician quality reporting program launched by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Baker's remarks are excerpted from a 90-minute audio conference now available on CD-ROM during which Baker and Robert Fortini, clinical operations manager, Community Care Physicians, examine the new call for voluntary reporting of quality measures by physician practices to CMS.

A patient navigation kit accented with artwork and writings by breast cancer survivors took top honors in the first annual Healthcare Toolkits contest sponsored by the Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN). The MyHealth, MyJourney breast cancer post-diagnosis toolkit developed by The Eden Communications Group of Maplewood, N.J., for Pfizer Oncology was awarded first prize among nearly 60 print, web-based and multi-media healthcare toolkits submitted by health plans, hospitals and employers.

Dan Styf, director of learning and innovation, Alliance of Community Health Plans, shares his thoughts on health plan quality improvement initiatives. Styf's comments were part of a July 20, 2005 audio conference, Health Plan Quality Improvement: Building and Monitoring an Effective Program, during which Styf provided inside details on health plan quality improvement (QI) programs and results from such initiatives.

Kim Bellard, vice president of eMarketing, Highmark Inc., describes how his organization is meeting the needs of members enrolled in consumer-driven healthcare plans by providing web-based tools and information. Bellard shared his experience during Using Web Technologies in Consumer-Driven Healthcare in 2006, a January 17, 2006 audio conference. This conference, now available on CD-ROM, provides an overview of how healthcare organizations are providing the right tools via their organizations' web sites to ensure that consumers have the information they need to assess the impact of their healthcare decisions.