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Bon Secours St. Francis Health System opened the Institute for Chronic Health today at the new Millennium campus with the goal of reforming the health care system to one that is focused on healthy living and preventive care. Michelin North America President and Chairman Dick Wilkerson, pictured, said all Michelin employees with diabetes will participate in the institute as part of a partnership with St. Francis.
By Scott Miller
smiller@scbiznews.com
Published August 10, 2009
Bon Secours St. Francis Health System launched a new chronic care institute that it said is a major step in reforming health care delivery from a focus on treatments to preventive care.
The Institute for Chronic Health at the new Millennium campus in Greenville will focus on proactive prevention and early detection for the treatment of chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.
Diabetic employees at Michelin North America in Greenville will be the first to participate in the institute as part of a new partnership.
“This is not about a new building opening. This is about new partnerships and the transformation of health care,” said St. Francis CEO Valinda Rutledge, speaking at an opening ceremony today.
The new institute consolidates all care at one location. Coaches will guide patients through the health care system and even go to patients’ homes and work places to identify healthier ways of living.
For Michelin, the new institute fits well with the company’s newest employee health plan, called Choose Well, Live Well, said President and Chairman Dick Wilkerson, pictured. That plan pays employees to exercise, schedule routine checkups and make other healthy living choices. Michelin still offers two traditional benefit plans but will phase those out in two years, Wilkerson said.
Nearly 1,000 Michelin employees will participate in the pilot program at the institute, Wilkerson said. Michelin employs around 8,000 people in the state.
“Our employees will get cutting-edge care,” he said. “They’ll feel better, they’ll save money, and we’ll save money as well.”
Jeff Immelt, the chairman and CEO of General Electric, also spoke at today’s event, throwing the support behind St. Francis’ efforts. He said GE plans to implement a healthy living benefit plan similar to Michelin’s that will provide employees with fitness and lifestyle coaches.
Rutledge said increased preventive care will reduce health care costs for everyone in the long haul.
At the Institute of Chronic Health, clients meet with specially trained nurses, exercise physiologists, dietitians and therapists. This care team works with each client’s physician to design a fitness program and individualized lifestyle plan that fits personal needs.
The institute’s early detection and renewal component features multidisciplinary professionals specializing in the identification of personal risk factors that could lead to premature development of disease. It will also focus on reducing an individual’s risk of developing secondary conditions related to a known chronic disease.
Some of the tools utilized to detect and mange these risk factors include:
• Personal Health Assessments
• Blood and Genetic Testing
• Advanced Imaging X-Ray; General, Cardiac, and Vascular Ultrasound
• Cardiac Echo
• Stress Testing
• EKG
At Early Detection & Renewal, clients are matched with a care team that provides them with ongoing, individualized medical management, care coordination and healthy lifestyle support to map his or her personal health journey.
The Institute of Chronic Health also has a number of support services, including a clinical laboratory.
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