Anthem Blue Cross Gains National Recognition For Diabetes Pilot Bridging Cultural Health Care Gaps For ... - Street.Com |
| Posted: 14 Oct 2010 10:55 AM PDT WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthem Blue Cross' health equities pilot is one of seven programs recognized this year with a Best of Blue Clinical Distinction Award. The pilot, developed for Hispanics and African Americans with diabetes, is being recognized for its innovative and successful approach to improving access to high quality, safe and affordable health care for Anthem members. The Best of Blue Clinical Distinction Program was developed by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and the Harvard Medical School Department of Health Care Policy. The purpose of the Clinical Distinction Awards is to highlight the Blue Cross Blue Shield plans nationally that demonstrate innovation, efficiency and potential for replication. The plan's pilot, "Bridging Cultural Health Care Gaps: Diabetes," took this honor, along with programs from two other Anthem-affiliated health plans in Indiana and Maine. "We know that ethnically diverse populations experience a higher prevalence of certain diseases and worse quality of care than whites regardless of the type of insurance they have or whether they have insurance at all," said Terri Amano, senior product manager, Anthem's Programs in Clinical Excellence. "With this pilot, our goal was to find ways to provide useful and relevant information tailored to the cultures of our Hispanic and African American members. This information helps them better control their diabetes and improve their quality of life." In asking members their opinions and researching behaviors and attitudes, Anthem found that aspects of culture -- food, family, faith and fear of disease complications, such as amputations and blindness, were factors that influence behaviors and attitudes toward health care among African Americans and Hispanics. These issues were explored in many of the educational materials. The pilot focused on creative and culturally appropriate ways to communicate with members -- including providing information on how members could reach out to local churches to share these messages with others and providing bilingual Spanish print fotonovelas, a photographic comic strip version of a soap opera. The pilot also provided diabetes educational materials that included ways to substitute ingredients in favorite ethnic meals to make them healthier.This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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