Government Employees Health Association and DPS Health Announce Continuation of Virtual Lifestyle Management Due to Proven Member Outcomes, Increased Satisfaction and Engagement

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --The Government Employees Health Association (GEHA), a leading health plan for federal employees, and DPS Health, the leader in clinically-proven, online behavior change interventions that improve obesity-related health outcomes, today announced that they have renewed their relationship and expanded their contract into 2014.

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GEHA has offered the online weight management program, Virtual Lifestyle Management (VLM), since 2009. In 2013, the program was expanded with the goal of enrolling 5,000 health plan members on VLM. After proven success in enrollment, engagement, satisfaction and weight loss, as well as a positive return on investment, GEHA has extend its offering of VLM to an additional 5,000 health plan members in 2014. In fact, recruitment efforts are already underway and showing strong results with nearly 1,750 members enrolled in January alone.

2013 was a landmark year for the partnership between DPS Health and GEHA. VLM recruitment was significantly increased and utilized a variety of methods, including direct mail, email, social media and IVR phone calls to successfully engage members. Survey results showed very high satisfaction rates with more than 90 percent of participants satisfied with VLM.  Additionally, more than 95 percent of members were more satisfied with GEHA simply for offering VLM.

"Over the past five years, we have exceeded our goal to engage and drive significant behavior change among a key group of overweight and obese members," explained Kathy Ross, director of Clinical Quality for GEHA. "We knew this population required something different from disease management and more targeted than wellness reminders. VLM delivers on that with a proven protocol and email interactions with an experienced coach. The engagement level has been tremendous and we consistently receive positive feedback from participants. The last report we received from VLM showed members have lost nearly 30,000 pounds on VLM."

Neal Kaufman, M.D., M.P.H., DPS Health co-founder and chief medical officer explained, "Traditionally, disease management and wellness programs address the highest risk/highest cost and lowest risk/lowest cost segments, respectfully. However, these approaches do not effectively address the 'moderate risk' group. These individuals, who represent 25-35 percent of the adult population, constitute a tremendous cost-saving opportunity for health plans and providers. Many moderate risk individuals struggle with their weight and might already have a diagnosed condition but they aren't yet in need of fully-fledged disease management. Without an early and cost-effective intervention like VLM, these individuals can quickly progress to the high cost group. Our program with GEHA directly addresses this moderate risk group."

Working with DPS Health's analytics team, GEHA was able to show reductions in healthcare claims and cost savings of nearly a three-to-one ROI for GEHA within 24 months for members enrolled in VLM in 2011.

"We've analyzed member claims data and worked closely with the GEHA team to develop engagement methods that best meet the needs of their target populations," said Adam Kaufman, Ph.D, DPS Health president and CEO. "By expanding upon and leveraging these 2013 successes, our goal is to continue to provide GEHA with a program that empowers their members to take control of their health and creates significant impact on the cost of healthcare."

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.  For more information, visit www.geha.com.

About DPS Health    
Founded in 2004, DPS Health enhances the capacity of organizations to improve the health of their members, employees and/or patients through research-proven, web and mobile self-management support interventions. For additional information, visit www.dpshealth.com.

SOURCE DPS Health