Information for Providers and Healthcare Professionals

Living Well is an evidence-based program developed by Stanford University and run by the Oregon Health Authority. The program has demonstrated success in improving health behaviors and outcomes while reducing costs and was designed to complement and enhance medical treatment and disease management.

Refer your patients to a Living Well program here:

 

Disease Conditions:

  • Living Well with Chronic Conditions is a workshop for people with lifelong health conditions, such as heart disease, arthritis or diabetes.
  • Nationally, 80 percent of older adults have at least one chronic condition.
  • 50 percent have at least two chronic conditions.
  • In 2005, chronic diseases claimed the lives of 19,219 Oregonians and resulted in $1.4 billion in hospitalization costs.

 Program Effectiveness:

  • Living Well has a strong impact on participants’ quality of life. Of the nearly 4,000 Oregonians that participated in the program between 2005 and 2009, an estimated 107 years of perfect health were gained among participants.
  • Living Well can conserve precious health care resources. Among the nearly 4,000 Oregonians that participated in the program between 2005 and 2009, an estimated $634,980 was saved in reduced emergency department visits, and $6,501,088 was saved in reduced hospital days.
  • Living Well participants report improved energy levels, reduced fatigue, and health distress, improved self-confidence, and ability to engage in social and life activities.

Benefits to your organization:

  • Enhance your organizations’ visibility as a progressive leader in the community.
  • Enhance your current programming – Living Well Programs do not conflict with existing programs or treatments. They are designed to enhance regular treatment.
  • Help your clients or patients gain better control of their chronic conditions and acquire the tools to effectively take part in managing their health, thus requiring less physician and nursing staff time.

Return on investment:

  • The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) has been developed through 20+ years of federally funded grants from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • There is evidence to support the notion that CDSMP saves enough money in healthcare expenditures within the first year to pay for the program.
  • The program’s benefits are also seen across the spectrum of socioeconomic and educational levels.
  • CDSMP participants maintain many of their health and behavioral improvements over time, and significant improvements in exercise and social/role limitations can be seen over a two-year period.
  • The participants who received the self-management program reduced their hospital stays by 0.15 days for a total difference of 0.49 days during the first 6 months of the original study. Assuming that a day of hospitalization costs $1,000, the reduction in hospitalization during the first 6 months can be extrapolated to 0.49 days which represents approximately $490 less utilization per participant than at baseline.
  • In conservative terms, the two-year saving due to reduced hospital days and outpatient visits is approximately $590 per participant ($490 in hospitalization and $100 in outpatient visits).
  • The self-management program produced significant improvements in health distress and reductions in ambulatory health care utilization each year during a 2-year period. In addition, participants perceived self-efficacy to manage their health conditions improved for 2 years.
  • CDSMP is currently offered through the National Health Services of England and Denmark, and in many parts of Australia, Japan, China, Norway and Canada. This attests to the program’s broad reach and appeal.

Sources:

Chronic Disease Self-Management Program: 2-Year Health Status and Health Care Utilization Outcomes on JSTOR

Oregon Wellness Network (o4ad.org)

Oregon Health Authority : Living Well with Chronic Conditions : Living Well with Chronic Conditions : State of Oregon

SMRC – Self-Management Resource Center – SMRC – Self-Management Resource Center (selfmanagementresource.com)