Volunteer Opportunities 2009

DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance is accepting requests to volunteer for the committees, subcommittees and workgroups identified below. Participation is open only to DMAA members and represents a benefit of membership. Space is limited for each panel listed below and volunteers will be asked to commit to participation guidelines. Once the slots are filled, a waiting list will be developed. Each of these committees, subcommittees and workgroups meets regularly by conference call. Active and consistent participation is encouraged. To volunteer, respond to Jeanette May, PhD, at jmay@dmaa.org by Nov. 19, 2008.

Quality Improvement Committee

The goal of the committee is to oversee the work of project specific subcommittees. Members of the Quality Improvement Committee must also commit to serve or to designate another person from the same company to serve on one of the project subcommittees. The Quality Improvement committee will, on an as needed basis, review subcommittee progress. Participation is limited to 15 people.

• Quality Information and Tools Subcommittee
  • The Quality Information and Tools subcommittee will focus on identifying and overseeing the development of tools that could be used to enhance the distribution of quality initiatives in the industry. The committee helped to develop a quality case studies registry in 2008 and continues to oversee the progress of the registry. Additional projects for the subcommittee this year will be the development of a depression management toolkit as well as survey work around Acute Coronary Syndrome. Participation is limited to 15 people, however, new groups may be formed based on new projects.
• Quality Awards Subcommittee
  • The Quality Awards Subcommittee develops and oversees a year's quality awards program. Participation is limited to 15 people.

Outcomes Measurement and Methodology Committee

The Outcomes Measurement and Methodology Committee will continue the work of the Outcomes Steering Committee. The goal of the Committee is to oversee the work of topic specific workgroups developing recommendations for the DMAA Outcomes Guidelines. Members of the Outcomes Measurement and Methodology Committee must also commit to serve or designate another person from the same company to serve on one of the area specific workgroups. The Committee will present a full set of Outcomes Guidelines Recommendations to the Board of Directors in August followed by publication of the report to be released at the Annual DMLF. Although not required, participation in the face to face meeting of the full committee in late summer of 2009 is encouraged. There is no limit to the number of members on the full committee but workgroup space is limited.

Outcomes Measurement and Methodology workgroups for 2009 include:

• Guidelines Review Workgroup
  • Review past guideline recommendations taking into account new evidence/research. Recommend refinement as needed as well as suggested testing/validation. Participation is limited to 15 people.
• Selection Criteria Workgroup
  • Review, test, and refine recommendations developed in 2008. Participation is limited to 10 people.
• Operational Measures Workgroup
  • Further refine and define the 2008 flow diagram as well as the concepts and definitions embedded in the diagram. In addition, the group will prioritize and begin to develop measures for each area identified in the operational flow diagram. Participation is limited to 12 people.
• Methodology Workgroup
  • Refine and expand the methodology work to possibly include long term evaluation considerations. Participation is limited to 12 people.
• Evaluation of Wellness Programs Workgroup
  • Continue the work in the wellness area to include review and refine the behavior measures identified in the program impact model and development of an evaluation methodology for wellness programs Participation is limited to 12 people.
• Medication Adherence Workgroup
  • Expand on the work completed in 2008 to include new measures and specifications for medication adherence which may include the development of a measure of persistency and a self report measure of barriers to adherence. Participation is limited to 12 people.
• Expanded Methodology Workgroup
  • Expand on the guiding principles developed in 2008 and move forward with the development of a methodology designed to evaluate a program addressing the needs of an entire population. Participation is limited to 12 people.

Obesity with Comorbidities Subcommittee

The Obesity with Comorbidities Subcommittee works on a variety of ongoing projects including publications, a comprehensive obesity literature review, an obesity Web site, and an obesity symposium. These projects serve to fulfill the goal of the DMAA Obesity with Associated Comorbidities Project: to raise awareness and improve the population health management for obesity with comorbidities. The subcommittee meets monthly via conference call and reviews work with the Obesity Steering Committee twice a year at an optional face to face meeting in Washington DC. Participation is limited to 20 people.

Market Analysis Subcommittee

The Market Analysis Subcommittee is beginning the next phase of the disease management and wellness industry survey and plans to publish the results in 2009. In 2007, a survey was conducted of employers, health plans, and service organizations, and in 2008, a report synthesizing the survey results was released. The next phase will include two separate surveys: one for the employers and one for the service providers of disease management and wellness programs. The results of the two surveys will be published and presented at The Forum 09. The subcommittee meets monthly via conference call. Participation is limited to 15 people.