FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DMAA, NAM Announce Joint Summit on Integrated Care in the WorkplaceWASHINGTON, D.C.—Combating heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions—many of which are leading causes of mortality—will be the focus of an employer and health care leaders summit co-sponsored by the Disease Management Association of America (DMAA) and National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the groups announced today. The DMAA-NAM Integrated Care Summit, Sept. 17 to 19, 2007, in Las Vegas, will feature presentations by leading employers and chronic care professionals, including a keynote speech by NAM President John Engler. The employer summit will be held in conjunction with the 9th Annual DMAA Disease Management Leadership Forum. "We are thrilled to have the support of NAM, an important voice in the employer community and leader in the health policy debate," DMAA President and CEO Tracey Moorhead said. "Chronic disease is a pressing concern for employers, but not one without solutions. We look forward to working with NAM to bring those solutions to the workplace." "Managing and preventing chronic disease is a national imperative, not only for the health of employees and their families, but for the economic health of the country," Engler said. "As our country continues to debate the most appropriate policies on Capitol Hill, the health of many Americans will continue to deteriorate. These programs provide employers with sound solutions that can be managed and the benefits realized in real time." More than 90 million Americans live with chronic illness, recent government figures show. The medical care costs of people with chronic diseases account for more than 75 percent of the nation’s $1.4 trillion annual health care spending total. The toll of chronic disease is especially high for employers and their workers. Lost productivity, absenteeism and "presenteeism"—reduced productivity on the job due to a chronic condition— increase costs to consumers and threaten the ability of businesses to remain competitive. In 2001, for example, cardiovascular disease resulted in more than $129 billion in lost productivity in the United States, federal figures show. Annually, arthritis results in an estimated $60 billion in lost productivity. "This summit recognizes that efforts to fight chronic illness span a variety of benefits programs, from wellness to medical care to disability," Moorhead said. "A coordinated, integrated approach offers multiple ways to reach employees and their dependents across a broad continuum of care, and that translates to more opportunities to improve health and productivity." On Jan. 23, DMAA began accepting abstracts for presentations at the Integrated Care Summit and the Disease Management Leadership Forum, both to be held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. NAM also will participate in the abstract collection and review efforts. Guidelines on abstract submissions and an online submission form are available in the Events area of the DMAA Web site, www.dmaa.org. # # # About DMAA About NAM |
