Comments on: Growing Up Healthy… http://www.letstalkhealthcare.org/our-foundation/growing-up-healthy/ Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:28:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Barry Zallen, MD http://www.letstalkhealthcare.org/our-foundation/growing-up-healthy/#comment-5138 Barry Zallen, MD Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:22:49 +0000 http://www.letstalkhealthcare.org/our-foundation/growing-up-healthy/#comment-5138 Charlie, You are absolutely right that Shape Up Somerville is an outstanding program. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) has been a sponsor of Professor Economus’ work for several years. We were delighted that one of the first places that she made her research results public was at our Jump Up & Go! conference in October. The solution to the problem of childhood obesity is clearly not one for the health care world alone. It will have to involve the whole community, including families, community leaders, schools, health care professionals, employers, government agencies, and health plans. We strongly agree that health plans and employers should make investments in programs like Shape Up Somerville, as well as in media campaigns, school programs, tools for clinicians, collaborations with public health efforts, and research on models that work. In fact, BCBSMA has invested almost $12 million in such efforts over the past decade through our Jump Up and Go! program. So it’s wonderful that HPHC’s Foundation is making a strong commitment in this area. It’s great to have company in the fight. You can see more about these efforts at the Jump Up and Go web site: www.jumpupandgo.com Charlie,

You are absolutely right that Shape Up Somerville is an outstanding program. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) has been a sponsor of Professor Economus’ work for several years. We were delighted that one of the first places that she made her research results public was at our Jump Up & Go! conference in October.

The solution to the problem of childhood obesity is clearly not one for the health care world alone. It will have to involve the whole community, including families, community leaders, schools, health care professionals, employers, government agencies, and health plans. We strongly agree that health plans and employers should make investments in programs like Shape Up Somerville, as well as in media campaigns, school programs, tools for clinicians, collaborations with public health efforts, and research on models that work. In fact, BCBSMA has invested almost $12 million in such efforts over the past decade through our Jump Up and Go! program. So it’s wonderful that HPHC’s Foundation is making a strong commitment in this area. It’s great to have company in the fight.

You can see more about these efforts at the Jump Up and Go web site: http://www.jumpupandgo.com

]]> By: j http://www.letstalkhealthcare.org/our-foundation/growing-up-healthy/#comment-5135 j Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:51:27 +0000 http://www.letstalkhealthcare.org/our-foundation/growing-up-healthy/#comment-5135 I had a question related to kids healthcare - this is all interesting in primary/secondary prevention depending on if the kids have the condition already. I was wondering though, what does harvard pilgrim do for kids who have chronic conditions. So based on this site, for obesity you fight obesity you pay for nutritionists etc., but what about if the children develop a debilitating condition sometime in childhood - lets say like a head injury requiring yrs of rehab therapy or lets say an unfortunate ankle injury requiring yrs of rehab therapy to return to normal baseline function? Most of harvard pilgrim's policies limit the post hospital treatments using archaic evidence and standards - as a good example, physical therapy is still limited per condition - so if obesity was treated under the physical therapy benefit, a child would be limited to a total number of visits within 60 days. after that they should have learned everything they need to to continue. No one would agree to that. So why is it that hphc cuts the rehab therapies off on a per diagnosis basis? Shouldn't you consider other conditions like obesity as a longterm battle? Other insurance companies like blue cross limit rehab therapies on a yearly basis but not the random limit of per diagnosis. I was wondering if you could elaborate on why obesity is a battle worth paying for over numerous visits but rehabillitation for other diagnosis are not? Thanks j MD I had a question related to kids healthcare - this is all interesting in primary/secondary prevention depending on if the kids have the condition already. I was wondering though, what does harvard pilgrim do for kids who have chronic conditions. So based on this site, for obesity you fight obesity you pay for nutritionists etc., but what about if the children develop a debilitating condition sometime in childhood - lets say like a head injury requiring yrs of rehab therapy or lets say an unfortunate ankle injury requiring yrs of rehab therapy to return to normal baseline function? Most of harvard pilgrim’s policies limit the post hospital treatments using archaic evidence and standards - as a good example, physical therapy is still limited per condition - so if obesity was treated under the physical therapy benefit, a child would be limited to a total number of visits within 60 days. after that they should have learned everything they need to to continue. No one would agree to that. So why is it that hphc cuts the rehab therapies off on a per diagnosis basis? Shouldn’t you consider other conditions like obesity as a longterm battle? Other insurance companies like blue cross limit rehab therapies on a yearly basis but not the random limit of per diagnosis. I was wondering if you could elaborate on why obesity is a battle worth paying for over numerous visits but rehabillitation for other diagnosis are not?
Thanks
j MD

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