U.S. Preventive Medicine Continues to Garner Government Contracts

U.S. Preventive Medicine has announced that it has been selected by the North Dakota Department of Human Services to provide community-based disease management services to help address the complex health care needs of eligible Medicaid recipients with chronic health conditions living in the state.

This comes just days after the State of Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Medical Services selected USPM to provide obstetrical and infant health management services to assist in improving birth outcomes and reducing costs associated with complicated pregnancies, pre-term births and high-risk infants among Medicaid participants in Crittenden, Phillips and St. Francis Counties, Arkansas.  The pilot program, called BirthWait®, began in June 2007 and will continue for two years.

In North Dakota, Experience HealthND is being implemented in cooperation with the University of North Dakota’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences and College of Nursing who will provide continuing education for providers and augment outreach and information services for recipients.  The Program will implement innovative approaches to providing disease and care management services for Medicaid fee-for-service recipients who have certain chronic illnesses.

“I look forward to working with the program in efforts to improve patient adherence to physician treatment plans and build self-management skills that are critical for the maintenance of chronic health conditions,” stated Dr. Hoadley Harris, Medical Advisor on the project.

Frederic S. Goldstein, president and COO of U.S. Preventive Medicine stated, “The Experience HealthND program and its unique partnership with the UND School of Medicine and College of Nursing, represents the best aspects of our community-based care management programs.  Recipients in the Program will benefit through this cooperative relationship as we work together to achieve positive outcomes.” 

Meanwhile in Arkansas, USPM will utilize its unique community-based approach to identify people who are likely to have a high-risk pregnancy and at-risk infants up to one year of age. Each person in the program will be assigned a community-based registered nurse who will provide care coordination, assessments, extensive education and monitoring. BirthWait® nurses utilize a case management database system, Casewatch® that includes guidelines and indicators for high-risk pregnancy as well as other chronic conditions the mother may have. The system offers the same capabilities for at-risk infants. Nurses enter assessment information, develop individualized care plans, and document and report all contacts and interventions as well as the tracking of key indicators.

“High-risk pregnancies and pre-term deliveries often result in poor health outcomes for mother’s and their infant’s health, and additional costs to the family and our communities,” said Roy Jeffus, director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Medical Services. “[USPM’s] intensive obstetrical and high-risk infant health management services will contribute to efforts in Crittenden, Phillips and St. Francis counties to potentially reduce these costs and improve health outcomes.”

“We recognize that high-risk pregnancies and pre-term deliveries are the result of multiple factors including medical, social and economic issues,” said Frederic Goldstein.  “We will contribute to interventions that may improve birth outcomes and reduce costs associated with complicated pregnancies and at-risk infants by focusing on the needs of the whole person.”