Comparative Effectiveness of Two Tobacco Cessation Interventions for Employees of Partners HealthCare, Inc.

"The internal coaching program will provide cognitive-behavioral counseling and medication adherence support for smokers who are ready to quit in the next 3 months It consists of:~1. Telephone counseling by the Tobacco Coach (8 calls over 12 weeks). supplemented by automated phone calls using interactive voice response. At each IVR contact, smokers can request a call back from the Tobacco Coach. Smokers who are not quit after 3 months can restart into the 12-week counseling program.~2. The Tobacco Coach will assist smokers in choosing pharmacotherapy and in obtaining a prescription from the smoker's physician.~3. Support and monitoring for 12 months using automated phone calls. If relapse occurs, the smoker will have the option to return to the active 12-week program."

Referral to Massachusetts Smokers Helpline (telephone quitline operated by the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program) for proactive telephone counseling.