Lilly Expands Disease Management Program to Reach Growing Asian-American Population

Health Education Answers, an interactive online program, is now available in Mandarin


INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 29  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To expand its patient education outreach, Lilly is translating portions of its award-winning Health Education Answers program, an online health and wellness tool, into Mandarin - one of the most common languages spoken by Asian-Americans.

This will provide easy-to-access, interactive health information to Asian-Americans - one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States, with an annual growth rate of 5.2 percent.(1) By the year 2050, the Asian-American population is expected to increase to 37.6 million, comprising 9.3 percent of the U.S. population.(2)

Already available in Spanish and English, Health Education Answers is a Web-based program designed to help managed care and public payer organizations further drive the standard of patient care through educational outreach. Patients accessing the program can progress through several health and disease management modules, including ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Diabetes, Diabetes Complications, Manage Your Weight, Medication Safety, Men's Health, Schizophrenia, Smoking & Addictions, and Women's Health. The Diabetes, Women's Health and Smoking & Addictions modules are now available in Mandarin, and Lilly plans to translate the remaining modules in the future.

The Health Education Answers program addresses some of the most prevalent health conditions of Asian-Americans. According to several studies, Asian-Americans are almost twice as likely to develop diabetes as the general population in the United States.(3) In addition, Asian-Americans have had greater communication difficulties with their physicians, less access to preventative services and chronic disease care, and decreased satisfaction with the quality of their health care.(4)

"By providing Health Education Answers in Mandarin, the program will reach a broader Asian-American audience and offer them an interactive, easy-to-use tool to learn about health and wellness," said Alex M. Azar II, vice president, Lilly USA. "For nearly a decade, Lilly has funded disease management programs to help improve patient care and reduce overall health care costs. We're proud to continue this outreach by expanding the Health Education Answers program to address the needs of Mandarin-speaking patients."

About Health Education Answers

Health Education Answers is based on research-supported patient education material that adheres to national clinical guidelines. This tool educates patients on several health areas, including proper diet and exercise, healthy habits to teach kids, and simple steps to help individuals and families prevent illness.

The program also includes an optional health risk assessment, which helps patients identify and understand their individual health needs and at-risk behaviors. Based on the results, Health Education Answers directs patients to the most applicable education modules that provide tips for improvement.

Awards and Recognition

In 2008, Health Education Answers received Health Information Product Certification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for the Health Risk Appraisals and Interactive Consumer Health Tools certification options. NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing health care quality information in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. Lilly was the first pharmaceutical company in the nation to receive this NCQA program status.

In addition, Health Education Answers received the 2009 Health Care Standard of Excellence Award from the Web Marketing Association. The annual WebAward Competition recognizes the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective Web sites on the Internet today.

Additional Lilly Disease Management Programs

In addition to Health Education Answers, Lilly provides disease management information to multicultural populations through a variety of outreach efforts, including:

  --  Multicultural Health Care: A Quality Improvement Guide - a free tool
      and resource library for health care organizations that wish to reduce
      health disparities among the diverse communities they serve. The
      collaboration between Lilly and the National Committee for Quality
      Assurance walks organizations through four comprehensive steps for
      implementing a quality improvement process - assessment of gaps,
      development of a step-by-step plan to address needs, implementation of
      initiatives and evaluation of outcomes.


  --  Fearless African Americans Connected and Empowered (F.A.C.E.) Diabetes
      Campaign - a grass-roots movement empowering African Americans to help
      individuals, families and neighborhoods overcome key barriers to
      success in living with diabetes. The campaign implements a series of
      practical and sustainable programs, which help foster behavioral and
      attitudinal changes in areas critical to managing diabetes, such as
      nutrition and cooking, physical activity, health and overall
      well-being.



Additional information about Lilly's disease management programs is available on lillyforbetterhealth.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers - through medicines and information - for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com/.

(1) Asian-American Health Initiative, "Asian-Americans." Web site: http://www.aahiinfo.org/english/asianAmericans.php. Accessed September 17, 2009.

(2) United States Department of Commerce - U.S. Census Bureau. "Census Bureau Projects Doubling of Nation's Population by 2100." January 13, 2000. Press release.

(3) Joslin Diabetes Center, "Asian-Americans and Diabetes. Web site: http://www.joslin.org/managing_your_diabetes_4307.asp. Accessed September 15, 2009.

(4) Hughes, Dora, "Quality of Health Care for Asian-Americans," The Commonwealth Fund 2001 Health Care Quality Survey. March 2002.

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