Viva la Vida

Viva la Vida, designed by California's federally designated Medicare quality improvement organization Lumetra, is a multifaceted program targeting health care providers and Latino Medicare beneficiaries through bilingual, low-literacy health education materials and tools, community provider partnerships, and the mass media. The program was implemented in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties in Southern California. Low-literacy, culturally appropriate, bilingual materials were distributed through partner organizations, which included health plans, physician groups, diabetes organizations, and Latino community organizations. In addition, public service announcements for radio and live interviews on Spanish radio and television stations were used to raise awareness about the importance of proactive diabetes control and to encourage Latinos to discuss A1C testing (an important tool for diabetes management) with their physicians.

The purpose of the Viva la Vida project was to improve diabetes care for Latino Medicare beneficiaries and decrease the disparity in A1C testing between Whites and Latinos.

A1C testing rates increased for both White and Latino Medicare beneficiaries. The testing disparity between Whites and Latinos decreased during the study period.

An analysis of Medicare claims data found that while A1C testing rates increased for both White and Latino beneficiaries in the program counties during the 3-year measurement period, the increase among Latinos was greater (from 70.6% to 77.5%). Most of the increase occurred during the most intense period of Viva la Vida interventions. Working with health plans or medical groups was found to be an effective and efficient way to reach busy physicians, and program materials won several national media awards. A high demand for printed tools by providers demonstrated a need for the educational materials in the community.