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District recommends renewing Ashner monitoring program; UMR condition care shows low take‑up
Summary
Staff recommended renewing Ashner Digital Medicine after reviewing its higher engagement and clinical outcomes compared with UMR Condition Care; consultants also showed Upbeat engagement survey results that district leaders say support retention goals.
St. Charles Parish School District staff recommended on Jan. 14 that the board renew its contract with Ashner Digital Medicine, citing program metrics showing sustained disease control among enrolled employees. The recommendation followed a side‑by‑side review comparing Ashner’s targeted remote monitoring/coaching for hypertension and diabetes with UMR’s broader but lower‑participation Condition Care offering.
Miss Teresa Brown presented Ashner outcomes, saying the program currently enrolled 220 employees — about 173 in hypertension management and 47 in type‑2 diabetes — and reported control rates above national benchmarks (Brown cited roughly 77% controlled for hypertension and 94% for diabetes among program participants). She told trustees the program has Epic integration that supports near‑real‑time clinician access to data.
By contrast, the UMR condition program had broader condition coverage but very low engagement in St. Charles (presenters reported roughly 16 members actively participating over 12 months). Brown and other staff argued that Ashner’s targeted model yields clearer measurable outcomes and likely produces return on investment through avoided medical costs.
Employee engagement: Separately, Upbeat consultants (Karen Peace and Joanie Poff) summarized the district’s recurring staff surveys and school‑level action plans. Upbeat reported strong participation (teachers ~91%) and highlighted multi‑year improvements in areas including autonomy and teacher voice; consultants credited district leadership for sustaining changes through focused school action plans. Joanie Poff noted 95% of schools grew in at least one of their selected focus areas after implementing targeted actions.
Next steps: Administration said it would return with a formal renewal to avoid a gap and proposed an effective date of May 1; trustees asked for follow‑up on program costs, how supplies and devices are provided for participating employees, and evidence that Ashner measurements are consistent with clinicians’ assessments. The board did not vote at the retreat.
