Medical Services Organisation (MSO) Member Care offers programmes that support the management of specific chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Benefits of the programmes include education, advice and support by trained nurses, review of the medicine currently being used and the support of a doctor/patient relationship. Members registered on the programmes are better informed about their conditions, are more confident, and can better manage their illnesses. This leads to an improved quality of life.

Are you a candidate for a Care programme?

MSO identifies eligible candidates from those members with one of the chronic conditions defined above and also looks for the following:

• Does the condition appear to be particularly severe?
• Is the member having difficulty controlling the condition?
• Has the member been hospitalised as a result of the condition?

How do you know if you are eligible to join a Care programme?

If you have been identified as a potential candidate, you will be invited to join the programme in one of the following ways:

1. A qualified Nurse Care Manager will contact you telephonically, via SMS or email.
2. You will be sent an educational pamphlet and questionnaire. Please complete the questionnaire and send it back to the Disease Management team in the pre-paid envelope.

Once you have agreed to join the programme the Care Manager will phone to enrol you, after which you will be sent information booklets and letters. The next step will be a visit to your doctor to complete a short form. The visit will be paid from your day-to-day benefits as a normal doctor’s consultation.

What if you are not invited to join a Care programme?

If you have asthma, diabetes or coronary heart disease which is well controlled, Medical Services Organisation (MSO) will continue to manage your chronic medication to ensure you are getting the best, most affordable and most effective medicine needed.

 

About the Care programmes

AsthmaCare

Most people with asthma should be able to enjoy a normal lifestyle, including getting a good night’s sleep, taking part in sport, and other normal daily activities. AsthmaCare enables you to achieve this by focussing on the appropriate use of medicine. The programme also provides education and counselling, which will help you to clearly understand and manage the disease.

You’ll get information on:

• Self management
• Use of inhalers and peak flow meters
• How to reduce asthma symptoms without affecting your lifestyle
• How to reduce the number of hospital and emergency room visits

DiabeticCare

This programme helps you to control your blood sugar. It also addresses other valuable issues such as the importance of screening tests and the necessity of lifestyle adjustments, which can vastly improve the well-being of diabetic patients.

The programme also educates you on correct medicine management and monitoring, as well as:

• Achieving good glucose control
• Tackling risk factors for cardiovascular disease
• Discussing screening tests that help prevent long-term complications

CardioCare

Anyone who has had angina or a heart attack knows how important good medicine management is and how critical it is to tackle any lifestyle risks you may have. CardioCare knows that it’s not always easy to do this without extra support and guidance.

CardioCare focuses on members who have coronary heart disease, with the aim of preventing heart attacks. The programme promotes healthy lifestyle and the appropriate monitoring and treatment of risk factors for atherosclerotic disease. This includes:

• Blood pressure management
• Cholesterol management
• Weight loss, stopping smoking, regular exercise

Contact number: 086 000 2121
E-mail: dm@mso.co.za