URAC

URAC promotes health care quality, and we know that consumers today desire to be active participants in their health care. Delivering on the promise of consumer empowerment and protection requires developing, analyzing and disseminating knowledge about living and breathing programs so consumers can make educated decisions. However, little evidence exists today about successful practices that empower and protect the consumer. We want to change that, and create a program that will serve as a guide to the market on how best to direct and engage consumers as partners.

Best Practices in Consumer Empowerment and Protection is not just another awards program or conference. This national event is designed to recognize those programs that are blazing new trails in consumer protection and empowerment and can be used as models for innovation and quality throughout the health care management industry.

On March 25-26, 2008 in Orlando, 22 award recipients from health care management, health information technology, health plan and pharmacy benefit management organizations were featured in educational sessions and honored at a black-tie gala for excellence in three categories: consumer decision support, consumer/patient safety, and integrated care coordination. Their programs were judged by a distinguished panel of industry experts and selected as winners for their ability to measurably demonstrate an impact on consumer empowerment and/or protection, as well as their potential for wide-spread implementation of the program by other organizations.

Winners of the 2008 Best Practices in Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards are:
Honorable Mention:

• OptumHealth, OptumHealth Treatment Decision Support Program
• Aetna, Inc., Aetna's Health Care Transparency Initiative
• Sensei, Inc., a Humana Joint Venture, Sensei for Weight Loss
• BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas City and Prime Solutions, Inc., Adolescent Immunization Community Collaborative
• FONEMED and Centra Care, Exposure Hotline of Centra Care and FONEMED
• Eli Lilly and Company, Comprehensive NeuroScience, Inc. and Missouri Department of Mental Health, Behavioral Pharmacy Management Program
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Blue Care Connection: Closing the Gaps in the Obesity Epidemic
• Medco Health Solutions, Inc., Improving Patient Safety for Diabetic Patients

Winners in the Health Care Management Category:

• Bronze Award, Paradigm Health, “Care Management Impact on Advance Directive Completion”
• Silver Award, INSPIRIS and Mercy Care Plan of Arizona, “INSPIRIS CarePlus Nurse Practitioner-Led Care”
• Gold Award, PsycHealth, Ltd., “Behavioral Health Home Intervention Impact on Readmissions”

Winners in the Health Information Technology Category:

• Bronze Award, ActiveHealth Management, “Helping Consumers Close Gaps in Their Health Care”
• Silver Award, Eli Lilly and Company, Comprehensive NeuroScience, Inc. and Missouri Department of Mental Health, “Behavioral Pharmacy Management Program”
• Gold Award, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “My HealtheVet”

Winners in the Health Plan Category:

• Bronze Award, Martin’s Point Health Care, “Post Hospital Discharge Call Process”
• Silver Award, Molina Healthcare of Washington and Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, “The Washington Medicaid Integration Partnership”
• Gold Award, BlueCross Blue Shield of Kansas City and Prime Solutions, Inc., “Adolescent Immunization Community Collaborative”

Winners in the Pharmacy Benefit Management Category:

• Bronze Award, Express Scripts , “Express Scripts Generics Today”
• Silver Award, Prescription Solutions, “Geriatric RxMonitor Program”
• Gold Award, MemberHealth, LLC, “Improving ACE-I Utilization in Medicare Part D”

Best Practices Awards:

• American Specialty Health, “Reduction in Regional Variation of X-ray Utilization”
• INSPIRIS and Mercy Care Plan of Arizona, “INSPIRIS CarePlus Nurse Practitioner-Led Care”

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Linda Ellerbee
Award-Winning Journalist/Television Producer

Michael Roizen M.D.
Bestselling Author/ Co-Founder & Chairman, RealAge, Inc.

Founder Sponsor

Health Care Management Awards

Press Annoucements

First-ever awards spotlight health care’s best

URAC names experts to serve as judges for Best Practices awards

URAC names finalists in first-ever Best Practices in Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards

Linda Ellerbee to present keynote at URAC’s Best Practices in Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards Program

Conference Guide