Get buy-in from the entire organization beforehand
Choose outside vendors carefully for best success
For a disease management program to be successful, everyone in your organization must be committed to it and willing to invest the considerable money and other resources it will take to make the program a success, Pam Mays, MPH, BSRN, RN, says.
"Disease management is not an operation that can work if it’s siloed. Everyone has to be tied in, including medical management, data analysis, information technology, pharmacy, quality management, behavioral health, and others," adds Mays, CIGNA HealthCare’s assistant vice president, care management.
She advises that an organization get buy-in from all parties involved before starting a disease management program.
Choosing an outside vendor that shares your philosophy of health care is important, she adds.
"We wanted to align with a vendor with the same commitment to quality and service. We did a thorough investigation and found a company that was willing to collaborate on a continuous process and quality improvement," Mays added.
For instance, CIGNA chose to develop a depression screening tool that the disease management nurses use with every member in the disease management programs.
Look for financial stability, investment in the infrastructure, experience of the clinical team, and commitment to disease management, she advises.
Other tips from Mays include:
- Make sure the entire organization has a commitment to disease management.
- Develop a way to integrate the program throughout your entire operations.
- Determine what data you need and how to analyze them.
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