HealthMedia(R) Kicks Off National Campaign to Promote Better Doctor/Patient Communications

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing initiative to promote health awareness and improve healthcare outcomes, HealthMedia(R), Inc., the global leader in the delivery of scalable behavior change interventions for health and wellness, disease management, behavioral health, and medication compliance, is kicking off the first annual Doctor/Patient Advocacy Week.

"HealthMedia initiated this campaign because there is often a lack of important communication and information sharing between patients and their healthcare professionals," said Ted Dacko, HealthMedia President and CEO. "Patients are often intimidated by their visit with their doctor. They often don't remember to ask the questions that they wanted to ask, don't understand parts of what their doctor tells them, don't know how to use reflective listening (repeating back what they think they heard) to make sure that they understand advice, and can be unsatisfied with their overall relationship with their doctor and their health plan. HealthMedia offers specific products that help patients improve their communication and overall trust with their doctor. This has proven to improve outcomes."

As part of this initiative, HealthMedia premiered "The Appointment" last week before a national audience at ENGAGE, its first annual customer forum, as well as to hundreds of consumers and health education professionals throughout the country, with an overwhelmingly positive response. The brief yet entertaining film explores the doctor-patient relationship and offers patients tips to make the most of their time interacting with their physician. It can be viewed at http://www.healthmedia.com/theappointment.html.

The video will be used primarily as an advocacy campaign for health professionals and consumers. In addition, it will be used as a tool to help recruit participants into disease management web interventions focused on a better working doctor-patient relationship. Finally, the video will be used as part of the successful HealthMedia Care(TM) for Your Health program, an online intervention designed to improve clinical disease management efforts by helping people with chronic conditions develop the self-management skills necessary to take charge of their health. Current estimates indicate that more than 85 percent of disease management is self-management.

"Improving the doctor-patient relationship can improve outcomes, medication adherence, and satisfaction with the health care provider and the health plan. Shedding light on this issue, in an unconventional and humorous manner, will help both doctors and patients better appreciate the importance of overcoming fear of doctor's visits and better communications," said Dacko. "The use of an entertaining and engaging medium is just one more example of HealthMedia's revolutionary approach to behavior change."

"The relationship between patient and doctor is the very foundation of the healthcare system," said Vicki Rackner, MD, a surgeon who now focuses on improving the health of the doctor-patient relationship through her company, Medical Bridges. "HealthMedia recognized the importance of the relationship, developed tools that guide patients beyond their comfort zones and collected the data to confirm what I always knew to be true-improving the patient-doctor relationship enhances patient experiences and outcomes."

In "The Appointment," HealthMedia provides the following tips for patients in creating a successful partnership with their physicians:

  -- Be honest with your physician
  -- Ask questions if you do not understand something your physician has
     said
  -- Bring a list of medications and vitamins you are taking
  -- Take notes during your appointment
  -- Bring a family member or friend along if you need help
  -- Alert your physician to changes in your life and/or health

  About HealthMedia, Inc.

HealthMedia, Inc. is the global leader in online delivery of scalable behavior change interventions. HealthMedia's proven outcomes increase compliance, reduce medical utilization, and increase productivity in order to improve profitability for health plans, employers, pharmaceutical companies, and behavioral health organizations. With its powerful combination of proven behavior science, sophisticated technology and creative marketing, HealthMedia delivers individually tailored self-management interventions for health and wellness, disease management, behavioral health, and medication compliance. Clients include Kaiser Permanente, UPS, Cleveland Clinic, Johnson & Johnson, GSK, and eight Blue Cross Blue Shield organizations across the United States. HealthMedia partners include APS Healthcare, Corphealth, Health Dialog, and SHPS. For more information, visit http://www.healthmedia.com/.