National Council on Aging Selects DPS Health as Strategic Partner

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA) has formed a multi-year strategic alliance with DPS Health, a leader in clinically-proven online and mobile behavior change interventions for the emergent-risk population. The alliance will leverage the strengths of each organization to bring a robust offering of evidence-based lifestyle modification and self- management support programs to millions of Americans. Especially important are individuals in the "emergent risk" category who have early stage chronic conditions. Each year, approximately 20 percent of the emergent risk population progress to "high risk/high cost," or those who consume healthcare resources at a rate four to six times higher than the average population. These individuals develop a new chronic condition every three to five years, lessening their quality of life and adding significant outpatient, medical equipment and pharmacy costs.

"NCOA's partnership with DPS Health is an important step toward positively impacting the health of older Americans, particularly those with chronic disease, before they become high-cost healthcare consumers," said Jay Greenberg, Sc.D., president, NCOA Services LLC. "We selected DPS Health after an extensive search. Our rigorous evaluation highlighted their leadership in the field, their commitment to operational excellence and most importantly, their vision of improving the lives of those managing or at risk for chronic disease. This alliance is consistent with our social enterprise focus on creative partnerships with the private sector that result in sustainable business models, accelerating the achievement of our goal of improving the health of 10 million older Americans by 2020."

DPS Health will assume management of the NCOA operational and technical services delivered as part of NCOA's digital self-management support programs. NCOA will continue to manage existing relationships and projects, pursue R&D opportunities and advocate for evidence-based self-management support programs. NCOA and DPS Health will collaborate on strategy and thought leadership.

"We are proud and excited that a long-standing and reputable organization such as NCOA trusts the operational capabilities and flexible technology platform of DPS Health," stated DPS Health CEO Adam Kaufman, Ph.D. "Aligning the interests of DPS Health and NCOA will create a powerful and effective force for transforming healthcare for millions of Americans, helping them to maintain their quality of life as they grow older."

About NCOA

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is the nation's leading nonprofit service and advocacy organization representing older adults and the community organizations that serve them. Our goal is to improve the health, independence, and economic security of 10 million older adults by 2020. For more than 60 years, NCOA has been a trusted voice and innovative problem-solver helping seniors navigate the challenges of aging in America. We work with local and national partners to give older adults tools and information to stay healthy and secure, and we advocate for programs and policies to improve the lives of all seniors, especially the most vulnerable. For more information, go to www.ncoa.org, or join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.

About DPS Health

Founded in 2004, DPS Health enhances the capacity of organizations to improve the health of their members, employees and/or patients through research-proven, web and mobile self-management support interventions. The company is dedicated to enhancing the health of Americans with chronic disease, particularly those in the emergent-risk category who represent a significant portion of the population and contribute to a large and increasing proportion of healthcare spending. Through digital, evidence-based interventions such as Virtual Lifestyle Management™, emergent-risk individuals can improve their overall health and avoid advancing to the high-risk, high-cost category.  For additional information, visit www.dpshealth.com.

Media Contacts:

For NCOA:
Vanessa Sink

571-527-3914
Vanessa.sink@ncoa.org

For DPS Health:
Emma Ludwin

KNB Communications

203-504-8230, ext. 107
eludwin@knbpr.com