Health Plan Performance Improvement Project: Aspirin Therapy for Members with Ischemic Heart Disease and Diabetes

The aspirin project focuses on helping to ensure that low-income, community-dwelling seniors with diabetes and/or ischemic heart disease are aware of the benefits of low-dose aspirin therapy. They can receive aspirin at little or no cost by presenting a prescription from their provider at the pharmacy. Prescriptions are tracked at the health plans through pharmacy claims that document the participation rate and allow measurement and monitoring of improvement. The project interventions have shown a positive impact. The most recent collaborative measurement data demonstrates a 14.79 percent increase over the baseline rate of 25.93 percent to the present overall rate of 40.72 percent.

Eight Minnesota health plans are collaborating on this project in order to improve the health of members across the state: Blue Plus, HealthPartners, Itasca Medical Care, Medica, Metropolitan Health Plan, PrimeWest Health, South Country Health Alliance, and UCare.

More information on this project in PIP News 2010, page 4. (10-page PDF)

Resources for care coordinators and providers

Care coordinator training, February 2009

Aspirin Therapy in Ischemic Heart Disease and Diabetes Mellitus. Presented by Thomas E. Kottke, MD, MSPH, medical director at HealthPartners, senior clinical investigator at HealthPartners Research Foundation, professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, and cardiologist at Regions Heart Center.

• DVD recordings of the training are available by contacting your health plan PIP representative. Materials from the training are available at the links below.
  • Agenda Includes activities, objectives and keynote speaker credentials Handout (2-page PDF)
  • Aspirin Refresher presentation: Aspirin Therapy in Ischemic Heart Disease and Diabetes Mellitus Handout (14-page PDF)
  • Keynote presentation: Dr. Kottke, Preventing Recurrent Coronary Heart Disease Events with Aspirin Handout (16-page PDF)
  • Care Coordinator Q&A Handout (2-page Word doc)

Care coordinator training, March 2008

Aspirin Therapy in Ischemic Heart Disease and Diabetes Mellitus, presented by Jackson Thatcher, MD, FACC, FSCAI,
interventional cardiologist and chair of pharmacy and therapeutics, The Park Nicollet Heart and Vascular Center/Methodist Hospital (24-minute audio file)

• Keynote presentation: Dr. Thatcher, Improving the documented use of aspirin in MSHO/MSC/MSC+ seniors with diabetes or ischemic heart disease, Handout (24-page PDF)
• Aspirin PIP presentation, Handout (11-page PDF)

Other resources

• Aspirin Care Coordinator Toolkit. Assistance to implement proper aspirin therapy among seniors with ischemic heart disease and diabetes melitis. (5-page PDF)
• Aspirin Professional Guidelines. A guide to recommendations for aspirin therapy. (1-page PDF)
• Sample Member Mailer download. Member brochure offers pertinent information about the value of aspirin therapy. (2-page PDF)
• Frequently Asked Questions: Aspirin. Information for Care Coordinators. (2-page Word doc)
• Sample Aspirin Informational Flyer. A guide to create an informational aspirin therapy member brochure. (2-page PDF)
  

Contact information

For more information on how your organization and Stratis Health can work together, please contact Karla Weng, program manager, 952-853-8570.