I got this press release and thought it could be valuable to everyone in this group.
DPS Health Now Offers the Virtual Lifestyle Management Service
New internet-based weight management service helps people lose weight to improve their health
LOS ANGELES, CA - September 4, 2008. DPS Health today announced that the Virtual Lifestyle Management service (VLM) is now available for licensing by healthcare provider organizations. DPS Health worked with the University of Pittsburgh to improve patient engagement through web-based learning, tracking, and motivation to create the VLM service. VLM uses cutting-edge technology to enhance efficiency and success of health care provider weight management programs.
Healthcare providers can now use state-of-the-art technology to reach a large population who may be at risk for weight-related illness such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure and their long-term complications including early death. The VLM service allows clinicians to provide their patients with a clinically-linked, internet-based, weight management service that features online lessons, workbooks, and behavioral goal setting and tracking supported by email coaching to help people become more active, eat better, lose weight and live healthier lives.
A recent 50 person year-long pilot study of the DPP, delivered online as the VLM service, demonstrated a 9-month average weight loss of 5.53 kilograms. Thirty-eight percent the participants lost at least 7% of their body weight. This study demonstrated that the VLM, with its unique delivery system, effectively helps people lose weight and keep it off while requiring minimal effort from the clinical team. (12-month data is currently being analyzed.)
“Four years ago, we began an important journey to create innovative ways to help overweight and sedentary adults lose weight to improve their health,” said DPS Health’s CEO Neal Kaufman, M.D., M.P.H., a proven leader who has built a record of trust through local, state and national efforts to improve the public’s health. “We transformed the landmark NIH-funded Diabetes Prevention Program into an internet-based program. The potential to help overweight and sedentary adults, while improving a practice’s bottom line, is greatly advanced by integrating weight management into the clinical practice. This can be done with minimal staff time by using the VLM service to help patients adopt and sustain health promoting behaviors,” concludes Dr. Kaufman.
About DPS Health
DPS Health, formerly known as Diabetes Prevention Source, extends the practice of medicine to meet current and future health threats. The increasing prevalence of life-style diseases and consumer driven treatments require new and improved ways to engage, enlighten and motivate individuals to adopt and sustain health promoting and disease prevention behaviors. DPS Health creates software solutions through an innovative, flexible and scalable technological platform (Behavior Change Suite™) based on research-proven lifestyle coaching methods. The DPS Weight Management division has developed the web-based Virtual Lifestyle Management service (VLM), based upon the Diabetes Prevention Program developed by the University of Pittsburgh. DPS Health is a licensee of this program for delivery through the VLM service. In addition, DPS Health has the Physical Activity Prescription™ to help sedentary and overweight adults become more physically active.