Diabetes Ten City Challenge

National Press Release

National Business Coalition on Health and APhA Foundation Partner to Improve Management of Chronic Health Care Conditions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The non-profit National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) today announced a partnership with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation to help patients better manage their chronic health conditions. Utilizing the purchasing power and community leadership of its more than 70 employer-based member coalitions, NBCH will work to implement the APhA Foundation’s HealthMapRx program. HealthMapRx is a pharmacist-coordinated, patient-self management program modeled after the highly successful Asheville Project.

Chronic health conditions are among the most common causes of avoidable health care costs in the United States.  HealthMapRx enables employers to help their employees successfully manage their chronic health conditions through ongoing relationships with community pharmacists and health management teams. For employees with diabetes, employers provide incentives to participate in the program including waived prescription co-pays and free diabetes supplies.

“Investing in employees’ well-being on the front end, rather than paying expenses for chronic illness after the fact, has been proven to show significant cost savings for employers and improved health for employees and their families,” said Andrew Webber, president and CEO of NBCH. “Providing a distribution network for HealthMapRx is in keeping with NBCH’s efforts to provide our members with value based purchasing solutions that improve the quality and affordability of health care.”

HealthMapRx currently offers programs in diabetes and cardiovascular health and plans to increase program offerings for employers. To assist local business coalitions in implementing the HealthMapRx model, NBCH will develop resources, including a plug and play tool kit, and provide technical assistance.

Several NBCH member coalitions have already implemented diabetes self-management programs as part of the APhA Foundation’s Diabetes Ten City Challenge, including the Hawaii Business Health Council, the Midwest Business Group on Health and the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health. The APhA Foundation works with employers across the country to implement HealthMapRx for their employees.

“Our overall goal is to make this program widely available and encourage employers to invest in helping their employees manage their conditions,” said APhA Foundation CEO William M.  Ellis.  “We are excited about collaborating with NBCH to make this program available to their coalition members.”

Gary Allen, executive director of the Hawaii Business Health Council stated, “HealthMapRx is designed long term to reduce the employees’ consumption of health care resources. The return on investment for employers implementing this program can be realized as early as the second year and some employers will even see returns in the first year. Through the leadership of NBCH,  this grass roots coalition effort can be a market changing initiative.”

About the National Business Coalition on Health (www.nbch.org)

NBCH is a national, non-profit, membership organization of more than 70 employer-based health care coalitions, representing over 10,000 employers across the United States.  NBCH and its members are dedicated to value based purchasing of health care services through the collective action of public and private purchasers. In developing, identifying and disseminating best practices in value based purchasing strategies, NBCH seeks to accelerate the nation’s progress towards safe, efficient, high quality health care.

About the APhA Foundation

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit organization affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association, the national professional society of pharmacists in the United States.  The APhA Foundation has expertise in designing programs that seek to create a new medication use system in the United States where patients, pharmacists, physicians and other health care providers collaborate to dramatically improve the cost and quality of consumer health outcomes through the safe and effective use of medications.

 

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