The idea is to improve patient engagement and outcomes by using games and the idea of competing, earning rewards, and solving challenges to improve health.  I think this is especially relevant with all the chronic diseases and obesity challenges in kids, but there are gamers of all ages.  Certainly, Wii and other technologies that respond to movement and integrate into social media help enable this.

Keas is certainly one company whose name I’ve heard a few times in this space for healthcare.  But, I think lots of people are talking about this and trying to figure it out.  A simple Google search pulls up lots of discussion on the topic.

With the upcoming Facebook IPO and their success working with Zynga on gaming, it makes me wonder if they’ll make any movement in this space.  They’ve generally stayed out of the healthcare space other than exercise and diet, but with their recent effort around organ donation, one could speculate about what they could do with all the money they’re raising.

Gabe Zichermann, the author of Game-Based Marketing, speaks of balancing the fun and frivolity of gamification with the task of making life easier for cancer patients. He says, “I don’t presume to think that we can make having cancer into a purely fun experience. But, we have data to show that when we give cancer patients gamified experiences to help them manage their drug prescriptions and manage chemotherapy, they improve their emotional state and also their adherence to their protocol.”

Well, I think this quote by Sunil Gupta summarizes the issue:

If [young adults] have no money in their pockets, there is nothing to sell them.

With 46% of those age 18-24 unemployed and 20% of those 25-34 living at home, this group’s financial dynamics are very different. The focus on both those with money and those driving the healthcare costs have shifted to Baby Boomers. (Facts from Time article on page 16 in the 4/9/12 edition.)

At the same time, I read an article about marketing to women which continue to make majority of healthcare decisions both for themselves and their families. (and caregivers (often women) are less likely to be adherent to their own medications.)  Here were the recommended approaches:

• Offer highly personalized formats
• Provide complete anonymity
• Eliminate the middle man
• Understand self-perceptions
• Consider the unique point of sale

And, some of these changes are driven by the economy. For example, according to NCH Marketing and Parks Associates, 81% of people are using coupons regularly and they redeemed them for 3.5B in 2011. (Of course, the jury is still out on the Groupon model…)

Understanding health literacy and personal motivation are critical as are so many other factors. With that in mind, I was glad to see this new campaign from AHRQ.

(Here’s the text they sent me about it.)

“When patients become more actively involved in their own health, there’s a much stronger likelihood their health outcomes will be better.

That’s why “Questions are the Answer,” a new public education initiative from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), encourages patients to have more effective two-way communication with their doctors and other clinicians.

“Questions are the Answer” features a website — www.ahrq.gov/questions — where you will find these free educational tools to use with your patients:

· A 7-minute video featuring real-life patients and clinicians who give firsthand accounts on the importance of asking questions and sharing information – this tool is ideal for a patient waiting room area and can be set to run on a continuous loop.
· A brochure, titled “Be More Involved in Your Health Care: Tips for Patients,” that offers helpful suggestions to follow before, during and after a medical visit.
· Notepads to help patients prioritize the top three questions they wish to ask during their medical appointment.

Clinicians can request a free supply of these materials by calling AHRQ at 1-800-358-9295 or sending an email to AHRQpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.”

All of this is good information, BUT:

This is a great list from what Beth Braverman calls “The Beaten Generation” looking at what’s happened since 2005:

• Their home equity has dropped 51%
• Their net worth is down 55%.
• Their student debt is up 19%.
• Unemployment for college grads is up 64%.
• Their income is down 4.5%
• 31% more are living with their parents.
• The birth rate is down 7.1%.
• 22% less think they’ll be able to retire by age 65.

And, we wonder why they’re pessimistic…

• 53% of Americans aren’t sure their kids will better off then they are.
• 67% are worked their quality of life will suffer in retirement.
• 80% say they’re eating at home more.
• 75% say time with family is more important than ever.

“Big periods of economic upheaval can define a generation. Not so much because of the depth of this recession, but because of its prolonged nature, it will have lasting impact.” Paul Flatters, Managing Director of Trajectory Partnership. (How The Economy Changed You by Dan Kadlec)

• 85% spend more time looking for deals before they buy. (hence the couponing craze)
• 57% are building an emergency fund.
• 51% are pessimistic about the US economy in the next 12 months.
• 61% are pessimistic about government officials spurring growth.

I don’t know about you, but I see a ton of nuggets in here about positioning generic drugs, preventative health, adherence, mail order, and many other cost savings actions in healthcare.

As part of the ongoing dispute between Walgreens and Express Scripts, Twitter has become one of the latest tools.  (see June post and September post)  In an effort to sway public opinion and thereby pressure Express Scripts and its clients, Walgreens turned to bloggers and Twitter to push their messaging…but these were in some case paid comments which was surprising.  They already have strong messaging in their IChooseWalgreens website and whitepapers on the Value of Walgreens.  I also thought they were demonstrating some success in converting people to their discount program which was part of their overall growth strategy shared at their shareholders meeting. 

After Walgreens (with almost 84,000 followers) created a promoted hashtag of #ILoveWalgreens, Express Scripts (with 1,645 followers) countered back with several Tweets about the dispute (see below).  I guess the question is whether with millions affected and decisions made by the businesses and not consumers…does this forum matter?  But, journalists and analysts follow them so it’s important to keep the messaging up.  (Other articles on this are here, here, and here.)

Conveniently, I found this infographic on how Twitter is changing healthcare.  At the same time, this is an interesting fight because it’s a blend of B2C and B2B crossing paths.  More to come since I’m sure this fight is long from over.

P2P or Peer-to-Peer healthcare is a common discussion topic these days. Patients want to go online and learn from others with their condition on sites like Inspire.com or PatientsLikeMe.com. The government has been one of the early adopters.

“The social media sites we have created show that the government can interact in a meaningful way with the public. We don’t just push information out; we strive to make the content relevant so people can act on it, share it with family or friends and ultimately change their behavior.” Amy Burnett, CDC (Tapping Into The Power By Getting Personal, Robin Robinson, PharmaVOICE, May 2011)

The question is how can traditional companies – pharmaceutical manufacturers, disease management companies, providers, managed care companies, pharmacies, and PBMs – interact in these discussions. On the one hand, they have a broad depth of experience and data to share. On the other hand, they can’t just jump in and drive their agenda. They have to add value to the conversation, demonstrate that they care, and add value.

Much like the idea that you can purchase things online and return them to the physical store, I think these virtual discussions need to eventually be tied to a physical experience for many patients. One group that I think could play significantly in this is local pharmacists. Imagine that a chain or an association created a social media team. That team could monitor and interact with patients especially in key conditions such as some of the specialty drug areas. As relevant, this could be linked back to a local store where a pharmacist could spend time consulting with the patient. I think this would be a great way to drive the retail specialty business and increase consumer brand awareness.

“The potential use of social media as a bellwether for identifying trends, informational gaps, support tools, even improved communications between providers, allied health professionals, and others could pave the way for a more collaborative approach to population mapping and patient care.” Michael Parks, Vox Media (Social Media: Paving The Way, Robin Robinson, PharmaVOICE, May 2011)

The CDC has even created a toolkit for people to use.

According to USA Today this morning, more than 2.65M Medicare recipients have saved an average of $569 per person this year based on addressing the donut hole with a 50% discount on the brand drugs filled during this time.  And, the average premium for 2012 is actually LOWER than the premium in 2011 (by $0.76 per month). 

The other part of the article is about the potential value of preventative care and leveraging this as part of the Medicare benefit.  The key here is engagement of the participants to help them understand and take action on their healthcare.  The power of the consumer in driving healthcare costs and outcomes is significant which is a topic that I know was discussed by several people today at the mHealth event in DC.