DMAA Calls for Broad-Scale Effort to Fight Chronic Disease in Reformed System

Statement attributable to:
Tracey Moorhead
President and CEO, DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance

"With its vote on health care system reform, the House of Representatives brings the nation closer to ensuring all Americans receive essential primary and preventive care services. As these historic measures move from legislation to law, DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance urges lawmakers and the president to maintain support for wellness, prevention and population health management in the fight against chronic disease.

"Only through comprehensive efforts to prevent and manage chronic conditions and promote wellness can the health care system achieve the quality improvement and cost savings that reform envisions. We must pursue broad-scale solutions to chronic disease, which consumes three-quarters of all health care spending and diminishes quality of life for millions of Americans.

"DMAA and its members commit their extensive expertise to the important work ahead. The rich experience of population health management can contribute greatly to the design, implementation and evaluation of programs to promote health and prevention and lessen the costly burden of chronic conditions."

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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.