20-084 Help Your Patients Kick the Habit and Improve Lung and Heart Health
Date: 02/06/20
This information applies to Physicians and Participating Physician Groups (PPGs).
Spread the word that February 2020 is National Heart Month
Did you know that a patient’s likelihood of quitting tobacco increases when providers offer brief, simple advice about quitting? Based on current recommendations, the most effective approach is to urge all persons trying to quit attempt to use both counseling and medication to maximize success. The California Smokers Helpline offers a lot of tobacco cessation resources in many languages at no cost.
The facts about tobacco cessation
There are more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke which damage health. The annual increase in emergency room (ER) visits attributable to the presence of one or more smokers in a household increases by 63% over nonsmoking households.1
When a person quits smoking and using tobacco, the benefits are immediate.
| After quitting | Benefits to patients |
20 minutes | Heart rate drops. |
12 hours | Carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. |
2 weeks-3 months | Heart attack risk begins to drop. Lung function begins to improve. |
1-9 months | Coughing and shortness of breath decrease. |
1 year | Added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s. |
2-5 years | Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s. Risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder is halved within five years. |
10 years | Lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s. Risk of cancers of the kidney and pancreas decreases. |
15 years | Risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker’s. |
E-cigarettes (vaping) are just as toxic as smoking cigarettes
Vaping, the act of inhaling and exhaling a nicotine-containing aerosol, often referred to as vapor, is used because it does not produce tobacco smoke. The aerosol, often mistaken for water vapor, contains fine particles. Many of these particles contain varying amounts of toxic chemicals, linked to cancer, as well as respiratory and heart disease.2
The main component of e-cigarettes is the e-liquid contained in cartridges. The e-liquid is nicotine extracted from tobacco and mixed with a base (usually propylene glycol), and may include flavorings, colorings and other chemicals (such as formaldehyde and acrolein, which can cause irreversible lung damage).
Can vaping help patients quit smoking?
No, vaping is not safer than smoking cigarettes and vaping is not an option to help quit smoking. E-cigarettes are currently not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a safe and effective solution in helping smokers quit.
Promoters of e-cigarettes claim the devices can help people quit smoking. Research suggests users are more likely to continue smoking along with vaping, especially since nicotine is very addictive.
The Quit for Life® Program can help members quit for good
The Quit for Life program offers one-on-one sessions with trained coaches ready to help eligible members overcome nicotine addiction. It also gives them the skills and positive backing they need to quit successfully. Their coach will give them proven strategies to:
- Manage cravings.
- Handle social situations.
- Avoid temptations that can prevent them from reaching their goal.
Member also will get:
- Help throughout the quit process with a step-by-step Quit Guide.
- Advice about nicotine substitutes and medications.
- And more resources.
Who is eligible?
The Quit for Life program is available to commercial and Medicare members ages 18 and older.
How can members join?
Eligible members can call 1-866-QUIT-4-LIFE (1-866-784-8454), or visit www.quitnow.net.
Tell your Health Net patients about these other quit resources
Program | Description | ||||||
| Tobacco-Free Health Promotion Program
| For eligible commercial and Medicare members Members can join the Tobacco-Free Health Promotion Program to beat cravings and stay quit for life with proven strategies. Through the program, they can learn how making better choices can improve their health now while setting the stage for a healthy future. Members can join in two steps and should have their identification (ID) card handy for quick and easy sign-up. (If the member is already signed up, they can skip to Step 2.) 1 Sign up by going to the applicable website:
2 Log in to account – Once logged in, click the Wellness Center tab to access the Smoke-Free Health Promotion Program. | ||||||
| California Smokers’ Helpline
| The Helpline offers free help to quit smoking. Services may include stop smoking/vaping coaches, telephone counseling, texts, apps, and referrals to local resources, as well as free nicotine patches to eligible callers.
| ||||||
| myStrength
| For eligible commercial and Medicare members myStrength Nicotine Recovery program can help individuals determine their readiness for quitting. It tailors recommended activities to an individual’s stage of change. The Nicotine Recovery program includes expert videos, interactive activities and stories of hope from recovered nicotine users to help individuals reach their nicotine recovery goals.
After setting up an online account, they can also download the myStrength app for iOS and Android devices and register using the same email and password. |
Additional information
If you have questions regarding the information contained in this update, contact the applicable Health Net Provider Services Center within 60 days at:
Line of Business | Telephone Number | Provider Portal | Email Address |
EnhancedCare PPO (IFP) | 1-844-463-8188 | provider_services@healthnet.com | |
EnhancedCare PPO (SBG) | 1-844-463-8188 | ||
Health Net employer group HMO, POS, HSP, PPO, & EPO | 1-800-641-7761 | ||
IFP (CommunityCare HMO, PPO, PureCare HSP, PureCare One EPO) | 1-888-926-2164 | ||
Medicare (individual) | 1-800-929-9224 | ||
Medicare (employer group) | 1-800-929-9224 |
1 Tobacco Use among Emergency Department Patients. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2011 Jan; 8(1): 253–263. doi: [10.3390/ijerph8010253]PMCID: PMC3037073. PMID: 21318027; www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3037073/.
2 Center on Addiction. (2019). What is vaping. Retrieved from www.centeronaddiction.org/e-cigarettes/recreational-vaping/what-vaping.