Envolve Center for Health Behavior Change Teams Up with Louisiana Healthcare Connections for Five-Year Diabetes Study

Date: 01/04/19

Louisiana Healthcare Connections recently hosted a press conference announcing the award of a five-year, $2.96 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to study the impact of unmet needs on health outcomes among Louisiana Healthcare Connections members with Type 2 diabetes. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards joined Louisiana Healthcare Connections CEO and Plan President Jamie Schlottman, and Washington University Associate Professor Amy McQueen, PhD—co-principal investigator—to announce the award in Baton Rouge.

Washington University in St. Louis was awarded the grant (No.DK115916) by the NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health, and will conduct the research in collaboration with the Envolve Center for Health Behavior Change and Louisiana Healthcare Connections. The Envolve Center for Health Behavior Change is a cross-sector community-industry-academic health care partnership that advances health solutions to improve lives so that communities can thrive.

Investigators will use observational methods and data analysis to examine the type and number of basic needs experienced by Medicaid members and how unmet needs impact health outcomes and healthcare utilization over time.

Based on an initial pilot study that indicated a relationship between unmet basic needs and poor self-management skills required for healthy behaviors, the study will include a randomized trial of 500 Louisiana Healthcare Connections members with Type 2 diabetes to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing basic needs navigation as compared with standard care.

Addressing the social determinants of health is a priority of Louisiana Healthcare Connections. Partnering with an established research team to develop data that may help drive long-term, sustainable improvements in health outcomes and quality of life is a meaningful endeavor.

About Louisiana Healthcare Connections

Established to deliver quality healthcare through local, regional and community-based partners, Louisiana Healthcare Connections is a Healthy Louisiana Plan headquartered in Baton Rouge, La. Louisiana Healthcare Connections exists to improve the health of its members through focused, compassionate and coordinated care. Because Louisiana Healthcare Connections believes healthy is a way of life, its members benefit from programs and services designed for their personal well-being. For more information, www.LouisianaHealthConnect.com.

About the Envolve Center for Health Behavior Change™

The Envolve Center for Health Behavior Change™ is a community-corporate-academic healthcare partnership that advances life-centric health research to improve lives so that communities can thrive. For more information regarding the Envolve Center for Health Behavior Change, visit https://envolve.wustl.edu.

About Envolve, Inc.®

Envolve, Inc.® is a family of health solutions, working together to make healthcare simpler, more effective and more accessible for everyone. As an agent for change in healthcare, Envolve is committed to transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. Envolve unifies specialty pharmacyPBMvisiondental24/7 nurse advice servicesdiabetes managementMSO solutions, and more. For more information, please visit our website www.envolvehealth.com or contact us at mediainquiries@envolvehealth.com.