Free & Clear(R) Reports Record Breaking Tobacco Quit Rates

Source from:  centredaily.com 05/22/2008

Quit For Life(R) Program Helped Clients Achieve "Best Ever" Tobacco Cessation Results. Free & Clear, Inc., the national leader in evidence-based tobacco cessation programs delivered via the phone and internet, announced record breaking tobacco quit rates among Quit For Life Program participants during the first quarter of 2008. Results of a follow-up survey of individuals six months after registering with the program showed 44.5 percent were tobacco free, compared with 39.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007. First quarter quit rates are the highest quit rates Free & Clear has achieved in over 20 years conducting the Quit For Life Program, which has helped more than 200,000 people quit tobacco. In addition to the higher quit rates, program satisfaction among participants was 92.8 percent. Over a dozen of Free & Clear's clients also reported record quit rates during the first quarter. Clients that experienced their highest ever quit rates included Regence, PacificSource, Anthem's Lumenos(R) product, UPS, Uniform Medical Plan (UMP) and the South Carolina Employee Insurance Program (SCEIP) serving South Carolina state employees. PacificSource reported record results, the company's highest ever. Anthem's Lumenos(R) product, UPS and SCEIP improved their quit rates by five percentage points, while UMP improved its quit rate by approximately ten percentage points and Regence by approximately 15 percentage points. "We are extremely pleased with our results during the first quarter," said Dr. Susan Zbikowski, Free & Clear's Vice President of Clinical and Behavioral Sciences. "Not only are our client quit rates the highest we've ever achieved, they are among the highest in the industry. As the recently released Public Health Service Tobacco Guidelines found, combining medication and counseling is the most effective strategy, and an integrated cessation program like the Quit For Life Program can be incredibly successful in helping individuals quit tobacco for good." The Quit For Life Program helps people overcome their physical, psychological and behavioral addiction to tobacco using an integrated mix of medication support, phone-based cognitive behavioral coaching and web-based learning and social support. A total of 14,428 program participants were eligible for the six month follow-up survey during the first quarter, and 51.4 percent completed the survey. Analysis of client results was limited to those that had at least 75 program participants completing the survey in the quarter. About Free & Clear, Inc. Free & Clear, Inc. is the nation's leading provider of tobacco treatment services for health plans, employers, and government organizations. Free & Clear helps its clients improve the health of their populations and control related costs by reducing the prevalence of tobacco use. More than 50 million people have access to the Free & Clear Quit For Life Program, which has had its proof of effectiveness published in multiple peer-reviewed, scientific journals over the course of more than 20 years. Free & Clear is based in Seattle, Washington. More information about Free & Clear can be found at www.freeclear.com. Enditem