HHC Diabetic Patient Health Outcomes Continue to Improve

For Immediate ReleaseMay 7, 2012Contact: Erin Hughes (HHC): erin.hughes@nychhc.org; 212.788.3339HHC Diabetic Patient Health Outcomes Continue to ImproveTelemedicine Program Helps Reduce HospitalizationsElectronic Patient Registry, Education Classes and Patient Support Groups Also Part OfComprehensive Approach To Manage Care For More Than 55,000 New Yorkers WithDiabetesNew York, NY – The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) todayannounced that the diabetic patient population served by the public hospitals systemcontinues to achieve better health outcomes by controlling blood sugar levels.Approximately 48.1% of HHC’s diabetic patients monitored in the past 6 monthsachieved healthy A1c blood sugar levels of 7 or less in 2011, up nearly six percentagepoints from 2007. HHC credits the improvements to a comprehensive chronic diseasemanagement program that includes innovative interventions like the House Callstelemedicine program which helped reduce hospitalizations for a high risk group ofdiabetics, the diabetes patient electronic registry which allows doctors to better monitorpatients, and education classes and support groups that are available across the HHCpublic hospitals system.“Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in New York City, and HHC facilities arebattling the disease on many fronts,” said HHC President Alan D. Aviles. “Ourcomprehensive approach to diabetic care, which includes free screenings, increasedattention to early diabetes detection in clinical visits, and innovative patient-centeredinterventions, have helped more and more of our patients to reach healthy controls. Weknow these interventions can not only improve health outcomes, but also help reduce thelong term costs associated with diabetes complications.”HHC’s House Calls Telehealth program has helped nearly 1,200 New Yorkers withsevere diabetes to significantly lower their blood sugar levels, avoiding hospitalizationsand trips to the emergency room. Over seventy percent of the patients enrolled in HouseCalls for at least six months have significantly decreased their A1c levels, or blood sugar,and of those, nearly 40% have reached the recommended goal of an A1c of 7, a healthylevel according to healthcare providers. When patients first start the House calls programA1c levels can range from more than 9 to as high as 16. Patients enrolled in House Calls

have also seen an 8% decrease in hospitalizations and a 6% reduction in ER visits. Theprogram, which is available to patients enrolled in the MetroPlus health plan, costs about$3,600 a year per patient, less than the cost of a single hospitalization which isapproximately $7,200.“These results encourage us to continue offering this great alternative to our MetroPlusmembers as part of our case management services,” said Dr. Arnold Saperstein,MetroPlus CEO. “Our main goal as a public health plan is to offer the bestcomprehensive services available to improve the health and quality of life for all of ourmembers. We are proud to be at the forefront of this battle, helping diabetic members togain control over their health and live healthy lives.”House Calls Telehealth ProgramThe HHC House Calls program teaches people with diabetes to manage their owntreatment by electronically transmitting via modem, the daily blood sugar readings takenby patients in their homes, to a team of nurse case managers. Patients are provided withthe equipment that connects to a telephone modem the size of a flip phone that is easilyplugged in at home. The equipment is then used to measure blood sugar and sometimesweight, and blood pressure. These readings are then transmitted to the House Callsnurses with the push of a button via the program's toll free phone line. Readings that areoutside acceptable levels trigger automatic alerts and clinicians then work to guide thepatient back to controlled levels before a health crisis occurs. House Calls also helpspatients design weekly meal plans and develop strategies to control their weight, bloodsugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. The program is available at no cost to diabeticpatients enrolled in MetroPlus, HHC's insurance plan, if their blood tests indicate poorself management of their disease and are referred by their doctor.Patient E-RegistrySince 2006, HHC has been monitoring its 58,000 diabetic patients with its diabetic e-registry, a web-based tool that uses information from HHC's advanced electronic medicalrecords data and provides a real-time "snapshot" of ongoing patient care—blood sugarlevels, medications prescribed, even data about necessary eye tests and foot exams. Theinformation enables doctors to give more targeted, evidence-based treatment and makespossible better-controlled blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This worksto reduce the risk of such severe complications as heart trouble, blindness and kidneyfailure.Education Classes and Support GroupsDiabetes educational courses and support groups are offered to all HHC patients withdiabetes, their families and care partners. Patients who attend the classes receiveinstruction from certified diabetes educators on healthy behaviors using the AmericanAssociation of Diabetes Educators Self-Care Behaviors Framework. Patients in thecourses develop the skills to take control of their diabetes and learn things like healthy

eating habits, exercise routines, proper monitoring, medication compliance and healthycoping. HHC facilities also offer WeCOACH, a six-week exercise and wellness programthat helps patients who are over 60 years old and who have uncontrolled diabetesparticipate in easy, accessible, senior-focused exercise and wellness programs in theirown community. Peer Coaches are assigned to help guide patients in their diabetesmanagement. WeCOACH is offered at Jacobi, North Central Bronx and LincolnHospitals.Online Diabetes Wellness CenterHHC’s online Diabetes Wellness Center has been a one stop shop for diabetic patients,providing them with general information, nutritional and exercise tips and information onother HHC diabetes programs. Patients can learn more about what causes diabetes, whatcan be done to treat its effects, read stories of how other HHC diabetic patients haveadopted healthier lifestyles, and learn from HHC experts about the most important thingsto focus on to successfully manage diabetes.About HHCThe New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integratedhealthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlus, and isthe largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.3 million NewYorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mentalhealth and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, four skillednursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 communitybased clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for NewYorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The JointCommission's John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality.For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/hhc.About MetroPlusMetroPlus Health Plan, Inc. is a health services plan certified under Section 4403-a of theNew York Public Health Law and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the New York CityHealth and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest municipal healthcare organizationin the country, MetroPlus provides managed care to over 420,000 eligible people livingin Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. In addition to Medicaid Managed Care,MetroPlus offers Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus and several Medicare AdvantagePlans and a Special Needs Plan (SNP) for people with HIV and their families. Inoperation for more than 25 years, MetroPlus offers a vast network of primary caredoctors and specialists, including many independent community providers. Plan staff isdrawn from the communities that MetroPlus serves and speaks more than seventylanguages.