PALO ALTO, CA, October 23, 2008 – Health Hero Network, a leading innovator of technology solutions for chronic care management, announced today that it has received recertification in Disease Management from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for 10 of its Health Buddy® health management programs. NCQA certification indicates that Health Buddy® Programs have passed rigorous reviews for their quality in implementing evidence-based practice guidelines for patient education and care management. These programs are delivered via the Health Buddy System, which serves as the interface between patients at home and care providers, facilitating patient education and monitoring of chronic conditions. “We appreciate NCQA’s continued recognition and validation that our Health Management programs meet the highest level of quality,” says Leslie Honor, RN, Clinical Director for Health Hero Network. “This recertification assures our customers that these Health Buddy Programs indeed offer quality care management for their patients with chronic illnesses.”
NCQA DM certification standards are intended to help organizations achieve the highest level of performance possible, reduce patient risk, and create an environment of continuous improvement. Health Hero Network received recertification in all ten previously recognized areas of care. The Health Buddy Programs recertified by NCQA include asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, depression, pediatric asthma, chronic heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and hypertension programs.
"Disease management offers tremendous promise for improving the care received by the chronically ill. By achieving NCQA DM Certification, an organization is showing that it is ready to provide specific services that can help fulfill that promise” says Margaret E. O’Kane, President of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
Health Buddy Programs consist of interactive scripted content that has been written by clinicians based on standard practice guidelines. The Health Buddy System delivers these programs to patients to educate, enhance medication compliance and guide behavior in support of the doctor’s treatment plan and lifestyle recommendations.
“We are very proud to have received recertification by NCQA for all ten of our previously certified Health Buddy Programs. We were the first enabling technology company to receive NCQA certification and this renewed endorsement underscores our deep commitment to providing high quality disease management programs as part of the Health Buddy System. By using the Health Buddy System, our customers are able to provide care management that can both increase quality of care and lower overall costs” says Derek Newell, CEO of Health Hero Network.
