DMAA Statement on President's Remarks at Green Bay, Wisc., Town Hall Meeting

Statement attributable to:
Tracey Moorhead
President and Chief Executive Officer, DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance

We thank President Obama for his consistent support for prevention, wellness and chronic condition management throughout the health care reform debate. We particularly welcome his remarks yesterday, in Green Bay, that diabetes management delivered telephonically could prevent a $30,000 cost for foot amputation. Like the president, we know that a modest investment in population health management will go far toward better care quality and greater value for our health care system.

As the president correctly observed, about 20 percent of patients account for 80 percent of health care spending, and most suffer from one or more chronic conditions. We strongly support his desire to align incentives across all providers, purchasers and consumers toward improved health and promotion of healthful behaviors.

Our members add value to the physician-led care team for chronically ill patients and those at risk of chronic disease. We offer our support as reform advances and urge policymakers to recognize care coordination, wellness and prevention as important tools in controlling the prevalence and costs associated with acute and chronic illnesses.

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About DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance
DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance convenes all stakeholders providing services along the care continuum toward the goal of population health improvement. These care continuum services include strategies such as health and wellness promotion, disease management, and care coordination. DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance promotes the role of population health improvement in raising the quality of care, improving health outcomes and reducing preventable health care costs for individuals with chronic conditions and those at risk for developing chronic conditions. DMAA's activities in support of these efforts include advocacy, research and the promotion of best practices in care management.

DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance represents more than 200 corporate and individual stakeholders—including wellness, disease and care management organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers and benefit managers, health information technology innovators, biotechnology innovators, employers, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals, and researchers and academicians. Visit DMAA on the Web at www.dmaa.org.