NCOA, DPS Health form strategic alliance to improve health of older Americans

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."