National Exemplary Practice Award 1997 Winner

Humana Health Care Plans of Chicago is the winner of the 1997 AAHP National Exemplary Practice Program Award. The Humana Chicago Breast Care Management System was created to manage the identification and treatment of women with breast cancer. This program has increased the chances that a woman with breast cancer will find out at the earliest stages of the disease and has decreased the time between identifying the presence of cancer and initiating treatment. Humana has also increased the screening rate and reduced the number of days from detection of breast cancer to surgery.

The AAHP National Exemplary Practice Program Award recognizes the health plan that has an outstanding program or system in place to improve the quality of a health care program.

"Since 1993, Humana Chicago has used multidisciplinary teams to standardize mammography and improve practices for evaluation and treatment of breast pathology. The results are standardized mammography, improved timelines of breast cancer detection and follow-up, and improved medical outcomes," said Dr. George Isham, 1997 Chairman of the AAHP Committee on Quality Health Care and Medical Director and Chief Health Officer of HealthPartners in Minnesota.

Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AAHP added, "AAHP and its member plans are proud of their strong track record on women’s health care. AAHP member plans subscribe to a philosophy of care that emphasizes health promotion, education and aggressive disease management through screening, early detection, and prompt treatment. This award-winning program is an example of how health plans across America are serving women and their special health needs."