| Written by DPS Health |
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Virtual Lifestyle Management™ Service Renewed and Expanded by GEHA
(Los Angeles, CA) – January 16th, 2012 –DPS Health and Government Employees Health Association (GEHA) are pleased to announce the contract renewal and program expansion of DPS Health’s Virtual Lifestyle Management™ (VLM) service in 2012. For the past 3 years, and continuing for another year, GEHA has used VLM as its clinically-linked, internet-based, year-long, weight management service to help overweight members become more active, eat better, lose weight, and live healthier lives.
“For years, VLM has given a select portion of our membership a new and engaging way to improve their physical activity and nutrition to manage their weight.” said Kathy Ross, GEHA Manager of Care Management. “Many of our members find the VLM lessons -and online coaching - - provide the right combination of education, motivation, planning and tracking they need to successfully change their lifestyle to live healthier.”
Virtual Lifestyle Management (VLM) is an online program based on the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a weight management approach developed by the University of Pittsburgh faculty under a federal research grant from the National Institutes of Health. Through web-based technology, VLM delivers the DPP research-proven lifestyle intervention, aiming to enhance the efficiency and success of healthcare provider weight management programs. To create VLM, the University of Pittsburgh, along with DPS Health, worked to improve patient engagement through web-based learning, tracking, and motivation.
“I am truly grateful to GEHA for making this program available to me,” said GEHA member and VLM user Diane. “It's a new experience for me to feel such gratitude to a health insurance provider. Offering this program to me makes me think of GEHA as a partner by encouraging and actually helping me to have a healthier life.”
In 2011, GEHA expanded VLM by making it available to a broader group of members who were not participating in the GEHA care management program. As part of this expansion, members were recruited through a number of targeted outreaches, including a successful outreach to members covered by Medicare.
Kathy Ross remarked “Seeing that VLM is effective across different patient populations, including members covered by Medicare, makes us excited to continue offering VLM to our members. We feel we have only scratched the surface of members that can and will benefit from VLM”
To support another year of expansion, DPS Health recently hired additional coaches to support GEHA members. DPS Health coaching services is an ever-expanding group of healthcare professionals with diverse backgrounds in nursing, nutrition, physical activity promotion, psychology, and life coaching, and extensive experience providing in-person weight management support. All DPS Health coaches are trained and experienced at coaching using VLM.
“It is exciting to see the impact VLM has had on GEHA members who have utilized the program over the years,” said Neal Kaufman, M.D., M.P.H., founder and CEO of DPS Health. “It is especially exciting to have a partner like GEHA who sees the great potential of a year-long online approach like VLM and continually tries to improve all aspects of the program, especially in terms of member recruitment. We are thrilled our partnership will continue to help healthcare providers better support their patients and give patients the opportunity to better manage weight and improve their long-term health.”
Kaufman is a proven leader who has built a record of trust through local, state and national efforts to improve public health. He founded DPS Health based on a deep concern about the epidemic of weight related illness, rising health costs and serious chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. His goal, then and now, is to help physicians address these issues and more effectively improve the health outcomes of their patients.
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About GEHA As the second-largest national health plan for civilian federal employees and retirees, GEHA provides health and dental plans to almost one million individuals worldwide. GEHA was one of the first insurance carriers eligible to provide coverage to federal employees under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act (FEHB) of 1959. The FEHB Program contracts with several hundred health insurance plans to provide coverage for over eight million federal enrollees and dependents, including retirees. GEHA also administers the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) for the federal government in more than 20 states. Independence, MO 64051 (800) 821-6136
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