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ActiveHealth's CareEngine System Identifies Patients Taking Withdrawn Medication; Alerts Patients and Their Physicians of Brain Infection Risk Within 48 hours of receiving a withdrawal alert for Raptiva (efalizumab) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ActiveHealth Management (ActiveHealth) used its patented technology to quickly scan over 19 million electronic patient records, identify 288 patients taking the medication and notify the patients and their physicians. The FDA issued a voluntary, phased withdrawal of the psoriasis drug because of an increased risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare and usually fatal brain infection. About 2000 patients in the U.S. take Raptiva.

ActiveHealth uses its clinical decision support technology, called the CareEngine® System, to communicate patient-level opportunities to improve care as well as FDA recalls and safety alerts. In this case, ActiveHealth clinicians used the technology to identify members taking the medication and their treating physicians. A clinical alert, called a Care Consideration, was then sent to each identified patient and physician.

"The FDA broadly communicated the details of the withdrawal and urged physicians to contact their patients taking Raptiva as soon possible," said Greg Steinberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer at ActiveHealth. "By sending physicians a Care Consideration for each patient we identified as taking the drug, we significantly reduced the need for physicians to pore through their files looking for affected patients. Our patient- and physician-specific Care Considerations significantly speed the process of communicating important FDA alerts."

The Care Consideration sent to physicians communicated important points from the FDA withdrawal alert, including the suggestion that they promptly assess the most appropriate treatment alternative for patients taking Raptiva and closely monitor those patients for PML after discontinuing the drug.

Patients also received a Care Consideration by mail and in their ActivePHR, ActiveHealth's personal health record. The patient version explained the risk and the symptoms that warrant immediate medical attention. (Symptoms include confusion, dizziness or loss of balance, difficulty talking or walking and vision problems.) The Care Consideration advised patients to speak with their physician as soon as possible about other treatment options.

Raptiva will remain on the market through June 8, 2009. ActiveHealth will use the CareEngine to actively monitor for new members who are taking Raptiva and send the Care Consideration as warranted.

In recent years, ActiveHealth reacted quickly to notify members and physicians about other drugs withdrawn from the market, including cerivastatin (Baycol), a cholesterol lowering medication, rofecoxib (Vioxx), a popular anti-inflammatory drug, pergolide (Permax), used to treat Parkinson's disease and tegaserod (Zelnorm®), used for short-term treatment of constipation in irritable bowel syndrome.

The CareEngine continuously aggregates medical, lab and pharmacy claims data for members and analyzes it against medical best practices. Published studies have proven that the CareEngine improves care, reduces medical errors and hospitalizations and lowers healthcare costs.

About ActiveHealth Management

ActiveHealth Management is a leading provider of health management services, including disease management, clinical decision support and personal health records. The company's solutions, all based on its patented CareEngine System, help individuals receive quality care and help organizations like health plans, employers and government payors reduce medical costs. More than 19 million people nationwide benefit from ActiveHealth programs. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in New York City, ActiveHealth is an independent subsidiary of Aetna (NYSE: AET). For more information, please visit http://www.activehealth.net.

Source: ActiveHealth Management