BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Apr 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Hooper Holmes (AMEX:HH) today announced the nationwide launch of Diabetes Know Now!, its newly developed health awareness platform to combat diabetes.
The Diabetes Know Now! program is the combination of an online diabetes risk assessment and at-home diabetes laboratory test kit manufactured and sold by Hooper Holmes. By completing a quick, easy, 17-question diabetes risk assessment at www.diabetesknownow.com, people can gauge their risk for having or developing diabetes. Users at high risk for diabetes will be offered an at-home diabetes test kit.
Early Detection is Key
Diabetes is fast becoming one of the costliest, most prevalent chronic health conditions in the U.S. with 23.6 million children and adults in the United States -- 7.8% of the population -- who have diabetes. Untreated, diabetes can lead to serious health complications and even death.
People with diagnosed diabetes, on average, have medical expenditures that are approximately 2.3 times higher than the expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes. Yet, many people with diabetes do not even know they have this potentially deadly disease.
The most frightening statistic is the estimated 57 million adults aged 20 and older who have pre-diabetes, a condition marked by elevated blood sugar that is not yet in the diabetic range.
Latest Tool Available
"Prior to the Diabetes Know Now! program, there was not an effective and efficient way to target diabetes screenings," said Roy Bubbs, President and CEO of Hooper Holmes. "Now, instead of having to complete blood tests on an entire population, we can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our customers' programs, by only completing blood testing on targeted groups that are at the highest risk for having or developing diabetes."
"Diabetes Know Now! is truly a pioneering achievement that is sure to result in the early detection and more timely treatment of many undetected and future diabetics," said Dexter W. Shurney, MD, MBA, MPH, Medical Director, Employee Healthcare Plan, Vanderbilt University and Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Shurney is also a board member of DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance, which promotes a proactive, accountable, patient-centric population health improvement model featuring a physician-guided health care delivery system designed to develop and engage informed and activated patients over time to address both illness and long-term health.
Major Carrier Kicks Off Program
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) has launched a new community campaign to combat diabetes in the Kansas City area with the Diabetes Know Now! platform, which is available on the company's Web site, www.BlueKC.com. Blue KC is the largest health insurance provider in the Kansas City area, offering health empowerment and trusted support to more than one million members.
"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is pleased to be stepping up to the plate with such a crucial community awareness campaign," said Tom Bowser, President and CEO of the company. "We have always stressed the importance of personal accountability in lifestyle and health care choices. Now, with health care reform on the horizon and talk in Washington, D.C. of a greater emphasis on prevention and accountability, Diabetes Know Now! is one way to be sure you're staying healthy and getting the medical help you may need."
"Diabetes Know Now! will allow our customers to more effectively and efficiently identify people with diabetes and pre-diabetes earlier than previously feasible," said Chris Behling, president of Hooper Holmes Health & Wellness. "We are excited and honored that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is integrating this platform into their innovative 'A Healthier You' suite of services to tackle the diabetes epidemic in the greater Kansas City area."
Hooper Holmes Health & Wellness is working with other payors and plan sponsors to further extend the reach of Diabetes Know Now!
About Hooper Holmes
Hooper Holmes is a leader in collecting personal health data and transforming it into useful information, enabling customers to take actions that manage or reduce their risks and expenses. With a network of thousands of examiners, Hooper Holmes can arrange medical exams anywhere in the U.S. and deliver the results to its customers. Hooper Holmes provides a complete service for wellness, disease management, and managed care companies including scheduling support, fulfillment of supplies, blood collection kits, medical screenings, lab testing and data transmission.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements are our ability to successfully implement our business strategy; uncertainty as to our working capital requirements over the next 12 to 24 months; our ability to maintain compliance with the financial covenant in our credit facility; our expectations regarding our operating cash flows; and the rate of life insurance application activity. Additional information about these and other factors that could affect the Company's business is set forth in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 12, 2010. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.