New Webinar on Pain Management: Taking the Edge Off Pain-Related Healthcare Cost and Utilization

PRLog (Press Release) – May 15, 2008 – Manasquan, NJ --  Healthcare costs for each of the estimated 60 million chronic pain sufferers in the United States can range from $500 to more than $30,000 annually, and are expected to increase as more baby boomers reach retirement age.  Additionally, chronic pain costs American workers an average of 4.6 hours of productive time each week, at an estimated cost to employers of $61.2 billion in lost hours. “Managing the Chronic Pain Patient: Strategies to Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Excessive Healthcare Utilization,” a June 11 webinar, will present case studies from pain management programs that can reduce excessive healthcare utilization while improving the quality of life for those suffering from chronic pain.  For more information, please visit http://www.hin.com/cgi-local/link/news/pl.cgi?painpr.

NEWS FACTS:

-- Scheduled Speakers: Marilee I. Donovan, Ph.D., R.N., regional pain management coordinator, Kaiser Permanente, and Cheryl Pacella, D.N.P., R.N., performance advisor at MassPro, a performance improvement organization, will provide the inside details on their organization's efforts to improve pain management.

-- Conference Highlights: Identifying and stratifying patients with chronic pain; creating a consistent approach to pain assessment using standard tools and questions; developing patient education and self-management techniques to meet patient needs; creating partnerships with primary care practices to address the needs of the chronic pain patient through clinical guidelines; combining pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment modalities for effective management; setting up pain management programs to treat beyond the symptoms; and reporting on outcomes and results from chronic pain management programs.

-- Target Audience: CEOs, medical directors, disease management directors, managers and coordinators, health plan executives, care management nurses, business development and strategic planning directors and physician practice leaders.

-- Webinar Formats: 90-minute live webinar on June 11, 2008 includes a 30-minute Q&A; “On-Demand” rebroadcast available June 13, 2008; 90-minute recording on CD-ROM with printed transcript or video recording of webinar on DVD available July 2, 2008.  For conference details, visit http://www.hin.com/cgi-local/link/news/pl.cgi?painpr.

QUOTE ATTRIBUTABLE TO MELANIE MATTHEWS, HIN EXECUTIVE VP AND COO:

“Many healthcare organizations are seeing results from a multidisciplinary pain management approach that includes lifestyle change, pharmacological interventions, self-management education and psychosocial support. Preliminary findings from HIN’s March 2008 e-survey on this topic found that nearly 60 percent of 186 responding hospitals, health plans, employers, nursing homes and hospices have begun some type of pain management program. Forty percent of those working in this area estimated that at least 21 percent of their population were likely candidates for pain management or pain prevention efforts.”

Please contact Patricia Donovan to arrange an interview or to obtain additional quotes.

About the Healthcare Intelligence Network – HIN is the premier advisory service for executives seeking high-quality strategic information on the business of healthcare. For more information, contact the Healthcare Intelligence Network, PO Box 1442, Wall Township, NJ 07719-1442, (888) 446-3530, fax (732) 292-3073, e-mail info@hin.com, or visit http://www.hin.com.