Evercare Unveils Details of Nation's First Alzheimer's Disease Special Needs Plan in Phoenix

Business Wire, Oct 25, 2007

Plan Couples Innovative Care Model with Banner Alzheimer's Institute's Specialized Services to Deliver Tailored Services for People with Alzheimer's and Related Dementia

PHOENIX -- In the 2nd graph of the Evercare boilerplate, the URL should read http://www.evercarehealthplans.com/alzheimers (sted http://www.evercarehealthplans.com/alzheimer's)

The corrected release reads:

EVERCARE UNVEILS DETAILS OF NATION'S FIRST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE SPECIAL NEEDS PLAN IN PHOENIX

PLAN COUPLES INNOVATIVE CARE MODEL WITH BANNER ALZHEIMER'S INSTITUTE'S SPECIALIZED SERVICES TO DELIVER TAILORED SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH ALZHEIMER'S AND RELATED DEMENTIA

Evercare, one of the nation's, and Arizona's, largest health care coordination programs, today unveiled the details of the first-ever Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan designed exclusively for people with Alzheimer's disease and chronic dementia. Residents of Maricopa County, Ariz. will be the first in the country to have access to this innovative health plan with tailored benefits and services, including special prescription drug coverage and the Alzheimer's Association Safe Return[R] program. Evercare Care Managers will collaborate with memory disorder specialists from the prestigious Phoenix-based Banner Alzheimer's Institute, with the goal of enhancing Evercare's innovative model of care.

The Evercare[R] Health Plan for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia provides benefits that go beyond traditional Medicare coverage. It is designed to meet the specific needs of families coping with the stress and issues of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia by providing personalized support from Evercare Care Managers. These trusted partners help guide members through the maze of health care services with the goal of delivering the kind of coordinated care and health outcomes that families have said in surveys gives them peace of mind.

"For the first time, people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia will be able to obtain health care specifically designed to address their complex health, behavioral and social support needs," says Charles Dow, Regional Executive Director of Evercare Southwest Region and Executive Director of Evercare Arizona. "Evercare is proud to team with Banner Alzheimer's Institute, one of the region's most respected organizations for patients with memory loss and thinking problems. Through our shared focus on innovation and Evercare's legacy of highly personalized health care coordination, we hope to advance the quality care for people with Alzheimer's and their families in Maricopa County."

Specific member benefits include:

* Prescription drug coverage that provides access to prescriptions regularly utilized by people with Alzheimer's disease and chronic dementia (including Aricept[R]);

* Enrollment in the Alzheimer's Association's Safe Return program, that helps reunite loved ones with the person with dementia who has wandered;

* Care Manager coordination of Alzheimer's disease education, training and end-of-life planning services;

* Bereavement counseling and services to help caregivers cope with their emotions and stress;

* Emergency respite services that provide caregivers with a break so they can address their own health care needs, which are often overlooked due to the demands and stress of caregiving; and

* Access to Banner Alzheimer's Institute's care and treatment programs for those with Alzheimer's and chronic dementia.

The Evercare[R] Health Plan for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia is the first Special Needs Plan for Alzheimer's disease approved for 2008 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Enrollment begins November 15, 2007, and is effective January 1, 2008, for eligible Medicare beneficiaries living in Maricopa County.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 5 million people nationwide are affected by Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. According to the Arizona Department of Health, Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in Arizona and accounted for five percent of all deaths in Maricopa County in 2005. The medical community does not yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer's disease; and only 19 percent of people with it or other related dementias have this diagnosis recorded on their medical record.

Teaming with Banner Alzheimer's Institute

Evercare has teamed with the prestigious Banner Alzheimer's Institute in a collaboration that takes advantage of the complementary strengths of both organizations to address the needs of these patients and to give their families peace of mind. The new plan brings together Evercare's nationally-recognized approach to caring for people with long-term chronic illness and their caregivers with Banner Alzheimer's Institute's care and treatment programs and services with the goal of meeting the needs of this population. This is critically important since 95 percent of Medicare beneficiaries 65 or older have at least two chronic conditions. The goal is to provide a holistic approach to address both dementia-related and other health issues under one plan with Evercare Care Managers coordinating the medical and non-medical needs of members and their caregivers.