Behavioral health experts at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have designed a program to help develop coping skills in people with serious medical conditions as part of a partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and care coordination company ACT.md.
Under the partnership, Blue Cross nurse coaches will use ACT.md's Care Coordination Record cloud-based platform to engage health plan members in the Brigham and Women's Hospital program, called Life Balance. The nurse coaches will work with patients who recently experienced a significant complex healthcare condition or episode to help them relate to their providers and utilize healthcare services.
"There is an immense opportunity to improve outcomes for patients faced with a challenging medical diagnosis through the use of technology, evidence-based content and social connections," said David K. Ahern, PhD, co-inventor of Life Balance. "Through this partnership, we will equip nurse coaches with the ability to teach patients important skills while also supporting the connection between patients, caregivers and loved ones."
Already, the program has received positive feedback from Blue Cross members who participated in the Life Balance pilot at Brigham and Women's Hospital. One patient called the program a "pillar of strength to lean on during a really hard time."
The move to expand the pilot from Brigham and Women's Hospital to a program accessible to more Blue Cross members via ACT.md's platform was announced Monday.
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