For Immediate Release:
December 9, 2004

For Further Information:
Scott Kramer
(212) 308-1414
skramer@americangeriatrics.org

New York, NY-The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today applauded the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) selection of McKesson Corporation and CIGNA as vendors for the first phase of a three-year chronic care improvement pilot program, part of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act (MMA). Both companies proposed physician-directed delivery models supported by AGS.

Section 721 of the MMA directs CMS to administer the first large-scale population-based chronic care program in the agency's history. The selected entities will support tens of thousands of chronically ill beneficiaries by showing them how to most effectively manage their own health. They will provide chronic care aimed at improving quality of life and diminishing the onset of complications related to heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, and several will rely on the expertise of geriatrics health care professionals.

Multiple disease management companies across the U.S. submitted bids to CMS to receive funding for the pilot programs at their facilities. Ten were ultimately selected, and two, the Mississippi-based McKesson Corporation and CIGNA of Georgia, partnered with a coalition of health organizations that includes AGS in structuring their proposed services.

"This program recognizes not only the costs and suffering that result from chronic illnesses, but also the teamwork that is necessary to effectively manage them," according to AGS President Meghan Gerety, MD. "CMS has selected organizations that understand the value of the physician-patient relationship as well as the need for an interdisciplinary team of professionals focused on disease management and quality of life. The American Geriatrics Society believes these principles are the cornerstone of good geriatric care and looks forward to contributing to the success of these initiatives."

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people. The society supports this mission through activities in: clinical practice; professional education on the clinical care of older people; research; public education and information; public policy efforts; and through collaborative relationships with other organizations. For more information about AGS programs and initiatives, visit the AGS Web site at www.americangeriatrics.org