Thursday, September 20, 2007


DETROIT, Sep. 20, 2007 (PR Newswire delivered by Newstex) -- Blue Care Network of Michigan has received a national award for leadership excellence in chronic disease care from DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance.

BCN received a DMAA Disease Management Leadership Award in the category of Outstanding Health Plan. The recognition is for Healthy Blue Living(SM), the innovative product BCN introduced in 2006. Healthy Blue Living rewards both employers and members for attempting to meet healthy lifestyle goals.

'It is an honor to be recognized for our team's innovative work that, most important, really changes lives,' said Douglas R. Woll, M.D., BCN senior vice president and chief medical officer. 'We believe we are one of the first health plans, if not the pioneer, to offer a product that promotes healthful lifestyles, rewards collaboration and aligns the interests of the member, physician, employer and plan.

'Strong incentives for members to commit to and adopt healthful lifestyles -- and for purchasers to heavily promote them -- are embedded in our product, Healthy Blue Living,' Woll said. 'The support to members is comprehensive. It ranges from a defined opportunity for each member to learn his or her personal set of modifiable risk factors, to physician guidance, to health coaching tailored for each individual.

'Our approach is based on more than a decade of research showing that behavior change is a key driver in controlling current and future health care costs.'

BCN's award was one of three Disease Management Leadership Awards presented at DMAA's 9th Annual Disease Management Leadership Forum. DMAA earlier this year solicited award nominations in a rigorous process that evaluated nominations against seven core criteria focusing on commitment, program design, implementation, innovation, outcomes-based orientation, scope and potential impact, and vision/leadership. Each award winner also met category-specific criteria.

'These individuals and companies really exemplify the best in high-quality care for chronically ill individuals,' said DMAA President and CEO Tracey Moorhead. 'Our annual awards are about leadership in chronic care, and our winners today have demonstrated their excellence as leaders many times over.'

Since its creation in 1999, DMAA's Leadership Awards Program has honored organizations and individuals in population-based care annually. Although the awards have evolved over the years, their core purpose remains the same: to recognize outstanding achievements in and contributions to the science and practice of chronic disease care.

Until Sept. 17, DMAA was known as the Disease Management Association of America.

Blue Care Network of Michigan and its subsidiaries have more than 660,000 members. Blue Care Network features award-winning disease management programs and the largest HMO network of physicians and hospitals in the state, with more than 3,800 primary care physicians, 9,700 specialists and 120 hospitals. Blue Care Network is the affiliated HMO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For further information, visit MiBCN.com.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan



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