Emory Report

August 28, 2000

Volume 53, No. 1

Emory Healthcare joins forces with Intervent USA By Lillian Kim Emory Healthcare has entered into a partnership with Savannah-based InterventUSA to form a new corporation, Intervent Atlanta. The new entity will market the program of lifestyle management and cardiovascular risk reduction to both individuals and companies in metro Atlanta and the rest of Georgia, excluding Savannah. Intervent is an individually tailored program aimed at helping people prevent heart attack and stroke and optimize their overall health and fitness. Participants learn to improve their exercise and nutrition habits, manage their weight and stress and, if applicable, quit smoking. The program is another avenue through which Emory Healthcare can increase its emphasis on preventive health. "This important new product for effectively managing an at-risk population will help us become leaders in the area of preventive health and develop new and better ways to deliver health services to people," said John Fox, president of Emory Healthcare. Laurence Sperling, head of cardiac rehabilitation at the Emory Clinic, is medical director of Intervent Atlanta. Board members include Wayne Alexander, chair of the department of medicine and Logue Professor of Medicine; and Douglas Morris, director of the Emory Heart Center and Hurst Professor of Medicine. Intervent participants undergo an initial risk assessment, which the program's computer system uses to generate a personal action plan with specific goals. Regular one-on-one visits with a "mentor," a health professional who serves as a personal coach, help participants track their progress and stay on course. The program also uses informational kits and audio CDs to reinforce health concepts, which include diverse topics such as reading nutritional labels and learning how to handle stress. "Through Intervent, participants not only learn about heart-healthy habits but also practice the skills needed to attain and maintain those habits," Morris said. Intervent is both cost-effective and time-efficient. The yearlong program costs about $400 per person, which includes the initial risk assessment and about 22 follow-up visits, each lasting about 15 minutes. The new company offers both fee-for-service and capitated programs. Intervent is designed to work in concert with participants' regular medical care; their personal physicians will be kept informed of their status and progress with the program. The program has been used successfully since 1997 in Savannah, where 13 major employers have purchased it for their employees. Intervent also has sites at a major shopping mall, two hospitals, physician practices and local YMCAs in Savannah. Intervent Atlanta already has begun enrolling participants at the Emory Clinic and plans to open sites in other clinic locations. For more information, visit the web site at www.interventusa.com, or call 404-247-8331. Return to August 28, 2000 contents page