Milpitas, Calif., April 20, 2000 - LifeScan, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company and the leading maker of blood glucose monitoring products for people with diabetes, is making available to its managed care organization (MCO) customers a wealth of materials designed to help them to satisfy the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) diabetes care requirements for 2000. Such requirements must be met in order for an MCO to receive a high-level rating on its report card from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). For patients with diabetes, the NCQA has established six HEDIS measures for rating quality of care, including patients being monitored for kidney disease and receiving hemoglobin A1c tests, eye exams, and lipid profiles.

The LifeScan materials are available to all MCOs and include information for both physicians and their patients.

Physicians designated by the MCO receive the following items:

• Brochure and chart summarizing HEDIS 2000 requirements for diabetes care;

• Wall chart showing the requisites for a complete diabetes exam;

• Tear-off pad with the requisites for a diabetes exam, to include in each patient's chart after the exam has been performed;

• Stickers to attach to the front of the charts of diabetes patients, to help identify the charts and provide a quick reminder list of the specialized tests diabetes patients require; and Samples of the educational materials available for their patients.

Materials available to patients include the following:

• A series of informative, easy-to-understand booklets: "Diabetes Self-Management," "Your Heart and Diabetes," "Your Kidneys and Diabetes" "Your Feet and Diabetes," and "Your Eyes and Diabetes"; and

• "Your Diabetes Health Record" -- a 64-page booklet for recording the results of lab tests and medical exams, as well as other personal medical information, such as weight, blood pressure, blood glucose results, and meal planning.

LifeScan has also made available to their MCO customers an interactive pharmacoeconomic model that can be customized to an MCO's diabetes population. The model helps MCOs calculate the potential savings they might realize should their patients with diabetes be enrolled in a comprehensive care program. The model is based on published clinical and statistical data and focuses on the incidence of diabetes in the U.S. as well as the reduction in diabetes-related complications that may be possible when the disease is properly managed.

"LifeScan is focused on providing its MCO customers with programs that allow them to better serve their patients with diabetes," said Ed Hugo, senior product manager of managed care programs, at LifeScan. "The new program developed by LifeScan explains the HEDIS 2000 requirements for improving diabetes care for MCO members, and it encourages provider and patient compliance with these requirements."

Interested MCOs should contact their LifeScan account manager.

LifeScan, a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies, is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with diabetes. More diabetes specialists and pharmacists recommend LifeScan blood glucose monitoring systems than any other brand. Every day, more than three million people rely on LifeScan systems for simple testing and accurate results.

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