GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than one million Michigan residents have diabetes, and one in three is at risk for prediabetes1.
Priority Health is the only health plan in the state to offer Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) to its members* as a preventive benefit. This nationally acclaimed program is proven to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent.
“Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in the nation, impacting our family members, neighbors and our friends,” said John Fox, M.D., associate vice president, medical affairs at Priority Health. “As a leading health plan in Michigan, our prevention efforts play a role in helping our members avoid diabetes and its devastating consequences.”
Priority Health partners with community organizations to provide awareness and access for members to attend a nationally-recognized diabetes prevention program (DPP). DPP is a Center for Disease Control (CDC)-recognized lifestyle change program for individuals diagnosed with prediabetes that is proven to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. The year-long program focuses on two lifestyle change goals: increasing physical activity and weight loss.
Since launching in Michigan in 2013, the program has grown to serve over 950 Priority Health members at more than 125 locations across the state. Sixty-five percent of participants have met their weight loss goals, and of those, 43 percent have exceeded them.
“Priority Health works very closely with our provider partners as well as our members to identify and alert those who display risk factors of type 2 diabetes and encourage them to enroll in DPP,” said Kandi Jezak, senior clinical program manager at Priority Health. “I’ve heard countless stories from members who have gone through the program and have experienced significant changes in their health. This program is a perfect example of how Priority Health is committed to improving the health and lives of our members and the community.”
About Priority Health:
Priority Health is an award-winning, Michigan-based non-profit health plan nationally recognized for improving the health and lives of the people it serves. It continues to lead the industry in engaging members in their health, delivering effective health and disease management programs and working with physicians to improve health care outcomes and performance. Priority Health is one of only four health plan nationwide offering wellness programs accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The State of Michigan named the Priority Health HMO the benchmark plan for all individual and group HMO plans to model.
Priority Health offers a broad portfolio of health benefit options for employer groups and individuals, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Its network of health care providers features 95 percent of practicing physicians available in Michigan and more than 900,000 health care providers nationwide.
1 The Diabetes Burden Report and the Michigan Diabetes Action Plan
*including group employer, MyPriority and Medicare members
