What’s Your #Moment4Change?

March 20, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

I’ve being doing a lot of work lately on how to tackle the obesity problem in the US. This has been great personally as it has forced me to look at lots of research to understand all the tools out there.

  • Diet
  • Exercise
  • Coaching programs
  • Devices
  • Social networks
  • Physicians
  • Centers of Excellence

It’s also made me look at different drivers of obesity including sleep and stress. The new report out showing that sitting is a huge problem (even if you exercise) is very eye-opening also.

For years, I’ve talked about my challenges is managing my weight which lead to some fluctuations, but at the end of the day, I think a lot of this boils down to a “Golden Moment” or a “Moment4Change”. Even people who do this every day (e.g., doctors or sports coaches) are often overweight. We have to have something which prompts us to change our life. We aren’t generally motivated by dropping our HDL. We’re motivated by being able to play with our kids or living long enough to see our kids get married.

In my life, there have been several Moment4Change points so I thought I would put this out there to hear what’s motivated others:

  • In 2002, I went to the doctor for the first time in a decade. He saw some health risks in my blood work and sent me to another physician. He told me I was obese. (Something less than 50% of physicians actually tell their overweight patients.) I was shocked. I was 215 pounds and 5′-10″. After 2 days of agony, I decided that I couldn’t accept that diagnosis and proceeded to lose 40 pounds in the next 60 days (all through exercise and social motivation through a running group).
  • Last fall after letting much of that weight creep back on over the decade, I decided to do a 5K with one of my kids. I’d run 3 marathons and was running several days a week (although at an average pace of 9 minute miles). I got killed as my kid ran at a 7:30 pace in their first race ever. Not only did I feel old, but I felt like I wasn’t being much of a role model. That motivated me to change. Now, after using the FitBit (see several comments), I’ve had good success losing 25 pounds in 3 months and seeing my cholesterol drop 120 points in that same time frame.

So, I’m interested. What has motivated you to changed? And, how do you measure success? I suggested that while women may use the “skinny jeans” test that men might be more likely to use the “belt buckle” test.

 

 

I think this image below from the AON Hewitt 2012 Health Care Survey is a good one about the fact that 80% of our costs are driven by 8 behaviors.

I also thought that this presentation at the FMI by The Well which was a GSW project was right in line with this.

Books / Articles, Care Management, Consumerism, exercise, Healthcare, Leadership, Marketing / Communications
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A Frustrating Pharmacy Experience Highlights Service Challenges #Fail

March 17, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

We all talk about the challenge of consumer engagement in healthcare.  If we can’t get consumers to engage, we’ll never get them to change behavior or be preventative.

But, as the recent Times article highlights, sometimes engagement still leads to failure which can be very frustrating.  As I think about my recent experience within the pharmacy system, I’m reminded of a comment that I re-tweeted yesterday.

In this case, I have connections which I suppose I could escalate this to, but it seems wrong that the only way to resolve my customer service issue is to call in personal favors from Express Scripts and CVS.

 

 

But, maybe that’s what I’ll have to do.  At this point, the only way I seem to be able to get my medication is to pay cash which seems like a total system failure.  (Thankfully, I can use the GoodRx app to figure out which pharmacies have the lowest cash price for me.)

So, here’s the scenario…

  • On 12/31/12, I requested a refill for my 90-day retail script that was getting filled at my local CVS store.  
  • I got busy and couldn’t go to pick it up until 1/2/13.
  • Obviously, my plan design changed on 1/1/13, and I was no longer eligible for 90-day retail scripts at CVS.
  • I asked the pharmacist to run it as a 30-day script.  They tried numerous times, but for whatever reason, they couldn’t get the 30-day script to go through.
  • I asked them to transfer the script to my local Schnucks (grocery store) pharmacy.
  • I filled the January 30-day script and a February 30-day script.
  • When I came back for my March refill, they were getting a RTS (refill-too-soon) reject from the PBM – Express Scripts.
  • The local pharmacist and I both jumped on our phones and talked to the pharmacy help desk and customer service at Express Scripts and got the same answer…”You should have another 59 days supply based on the 90-day Rx you picked up at CVS on 12/31/12.”
  • I tried explaining to the customer service rep that I never picked it up.  They said that I’d have to solve that with CVS since they show it in the Express Scripts system…which by the way had me very upset that it became my issue to resolve a problem between the pharmacy and the PBM.  The rep went on to explain to me that they don’t talk to retail pharmacies to resolve issues like this.  (This became one of very few times when I was shouting and upset on a customer service call.)
  • My local pharmacist called the CVS store that said they show the original claim, but it shows that they didn’t fill it.  They agreed to try to reverse it again.
  • One complicating factor here which I think is making this worse is that the 2012 plan was with Medco which has since been bought by Express Scripts.  As a new client to Express Scripts, I would assume Medco sent them an open refill file probably on 12/31/12 or 1/1/13.  A reversal after that day might never come over to Express Scripts.
  • So, I posted the above tweet out of frustration over a week ago.  Express Scripts’ social media team quickly followed-up and assigned someone to work the case…BUT, it’s still not fixed.
  • I talked to Express Scripts yesterday, and it was still something they were trying to resolve with CVS.
  • I talked with CVS who confirms that they never filled the script and show it never paid by Express Scripts.  They blame it on an issue with their software vendor that somehow the reversal was caught in the system.  They said it could get resolved in the next 48 hours.

Who knows when this will resolve itself, but everyone seems to be able to blame someone else here.  Never mind that the patient (me) can’t get their medication.  As someone who tries to look at this from the average consumer’s perspective, this is a nightmare and total customer experience failure.  I understand the system.  I understand plan design.  I know the pharmacists.  I know the teams at Express Scripts and CVS.  Even with all that, I’m stuck having to go outside the system, pay cash for my prescription, and hope that my paper claim will get processed and hit my deductible in my plan design.

fail-stamp

 

Healthcare, PBM / Pharmacy
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Short Sighted View Of Freedom With NY Soda Ban

March 12, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 1 Comment

pouring-on-the-pounds

There are lots of fundamental issues here:

  • Was the law legal?
  • Does soda make you fat?
  • Should the government be able to steer you to positive choices?
  • Did this impact our freedom?

At the end of the day, I look at it very differently.  I think the proposed ban was great.  I was very annoyed last night to find out it was overturned.

Why?

  1. I don’t see this as any different than moving unhealthy foods to a less obvious place in the food line at school.  It simply was meant to help steer people to make healthier decisions.  We should all be thankful for someone helping us since we generally don’t seem to be able to help ourselves.
  2. Government has to be run like a business.  (It usually isn’t.)  Obesity is a big driver of costs.  It requires more power for public transportation.  It requires bigger chairs.  It requires bigger hospital beds.  It requires bigger ambulances.  And, all of us taxpayers pay for this.
  3. 80% of healthcare costs are driven by personal decisions that we make mostly around diet and exercise.  Since most people will end up on Medicare at some point, we need to change the cost curve in healthcare sooner rather than later.  Otherwise, we either bankrupt our country or we bankrupt Medicare.

So, enjoy your big 64 oz soda now, but when you’re 69 and Medicare has been rolled back to 70 due to funding challenges, you can smile and remember that you got to enjoy all that sugar for years without anyone trying to help you. (I can picture a great political cartoon here of the patient getting a healthcare bill looking over their shoulder from their wheelchair to see a big pile of soda cups!)  Never mind the fact that you’re bankrupt due to your healthcare bills and not able to walk around to keep up with your grandkids.

The Business of Obesity
Source: top-nursing-programs.com

Consumerism, Events, exercise, Healthcare, Infographic, Leadership, Marketing / Communications, Politics
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Why It’s So Hard To Improve Consumer Engagement In Healthcare?

March 11, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 1 Comment

I spend a lot of my personal and professional time trying to figure out how to better engage consumers in healthcare.  If you can’t engage them, you can’t improve outcomes.

Never mind the fact that people experience about 5,000 messages a day so you have to cut through that clutter.

Even if we do cut through the clutter, people are busy living their lives.  They’re worried about their family.  They’re worried about the economy.  They’re trying to keep food on the table.  They are generally overwhelmed with too little sleep and too much stress.

But, let’s even assume that you can cut through the clutter and get them to listen, you still struggle with getting a person at a time when they are open to change.  These “golden moments” require them to see value in the change and feel like the short-term effort is worth the long-term gain.  This “value exchange” doesn’t often exist.  And, with 30% variance in the healthcare system, people often don’t trust the system.

Even with all that in mind, people still don’t engage.  They don’t get flu shots.  They don’t fill their medications.  They don’t understand the messages that are delivered to them.

Here’s a quick image I created for a presentation later this week.

Consumer

A few of the sources for this are:

Books / Articles, Care Management, Healthcare, Marketing / Communications, Research
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A Compelling Argument As To Why You Need More Germs

March 4, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

“In our modern effort to eradicate disease, we pop antibiotics like candy, apply hand sanitizers with abandon, and gargle mouthwash by the gallon. But this carpet-bombing of germs takes a huge toll on good microbes as well as bad. The March/April issue of The Saturday Evening Post, on newsstands now, reveals recent research pointing to medical problems including asthma, obesity, and chronic sinusitis that might be caused by the absence of certain microbiota in our bodies.”  (From a press release about the article Why We Need Germs.)

What if the bacteria in our body was a determining factor in chronic conditions?  Would you try to get more bacteria into your body?  Would you stop doing things to kill the bacteria?  Would this change our eating habits?

This is a fascinating article by The Saturday Evening Post, it shares some research that might explain why two people can have the same food habits and one be skinny and one be fat.  (A frustrating thing for many of us.)

You can even learn about a crowdsourcing project that will take your feces and tell you the bacteria in your gut.  

In the meantime, you might want to eat more asparagus and garlic.  Yummy!  And, be less stressed out.

For instance, Bacteroidetes—the microbes linked to slimness—proliferate in the presence of fructans, a form of fructose found in asparagus, artichokes, garlic, and onions, among other foods, notes microbiologist Andrew Gewirtz of Georgia State University. A diet high in fructans might support a good crop of slimming Bacteroidetes. On the other hand, he notes, stress decreases the abundance of Bacteroidetes, suggesting one more way stress causes obesity.

Books / Articles, Healthcare, Research

Healthcare Fails Again In Experience Survey

March 2, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

The fact that most people would rate their experience with their health insurer low isn’t a big surprise to most of us in healthcare.  But, with the Triple Aim and other quality metrics, the customer experience is becoming an increasingly important metric.  Several recent surveys have talked about this as one of the top priorities for hospital systems.  And, as use of CAHPS continues to grow, this will be more closely linked with incentives.

“Patient experience is on the radar of hospital executives, especially since Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores will soon affect reimbursement,” said Jason Wolf, executive director of the Beryl Institute. “However, the data shows that executives are still grappling with how to implement change within their organizations.” (source)

Like in years past, health insurers just barely nudge out TV service providers to prevent being the bottom of the industry in Bruce Temkin’s Benchmarking work.  While I’d love to see healthcare broken out into hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, insurance companies, PBMs, and care management companies, I think we can assume some similar concerns would fall out.

Healthcare companies need to find ways to address this.  I think there are several key first steps:

  1. Defining your customer;
  2. Mapping their experience;
  3. Creating personas or segments to think about (i.e., healthy, sick, insured);
  4. Identifying influences on their experience (some of which you might not control);
  5. Determining what matters versus doesn’t matter;
  6. Capturing baseline metrics; and
  7. Building a continuous improvement process.

Temkin Group 2013 Satisfaction Temkin Group Satisfaction

 

Books / Articles, Consumerism, Healthcare, Leadership, Research
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A Web Strategy Is NOT A Digital Strategy

February 26, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

I was monitoring a pharma conference over in Europe this morning.  I found a few of the dialogues really interesting.  One of them was about a company creating all these websites to allow consumers to engage with them.  There was then some debate.

On the on hand, I can agree that you can do some creative things with the channel, and therefore, I should be too down on someone who is very web centric.  (i.e., focus on the strategy)  On the other hand, digital is much bigger than web.

I’m sure there’s a lot of views here, but let me share mine in terms of what to consider from a digital strategy:

  • A website or series of sites along with a mobile web optimization for devices
  • Search engine optimization
  • Social (e.g., Facebook, Google+)
  • Communities
  • Video
  • Mobile apps
  • Device integration (e.g., BodyMedia)
  • Software integration (e.g., EMRs, PHRs)
  • Blogging
  • Twitter
  • Gamification
  • Telehealth
  • Remote monitoring
  • Big Data
  • Predictive algorithms
  • Location based services (e.g., FourSquare)
  • Use of SMS

While there are a lot of complicated images out there trying to show everything around digital strategy, I found this one pretty simple and concise.

Digital Strategy

Healthcare, Innovation, Leadership, Marketing / Communications, mHealth, Social Media, Technology
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Is Healthcare An Investment Or A Cost?

February 26, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

As I’ve been looking at the employer view of healthcare, it strikes me that there are two different fundamental approaches.

  1. Healthcare expenses are a cost.  We want to drive down the costs as much as possible.
  2. Healthcare is an investment in our human capital.  We want to optimize our spend with the best outcomes.

Unfortunately, this likely means that the most vulnerable population is disadvantaged in this model (i.e., the hourly worker who is in a job where they are easily interchanged with another employee).

But, for companies where their biggest asset is their people (e.g., Microsoft), it seems clear that they would want to focus on healthcare as an investment.

This might drive you to make different decisions.

  • What if you looked at your formulary (for medications) based on side effects not necessarily costs?
  • What if you were willing to pay more for drugs with a clear impact on productivity (e.g., no drowsiness)?
  • Would you pay more for facilities that were better able to get people back to work?
  • Would you really push people into high deductible plans when this forces them to spend more time figuring out the system and navigating it?
  • Would you provide them all with devices to help them manage their healthcare?
  • Would you hire health advocates to help them navigate the system?
  • Would you provide them all with second opinions for major diseases (e.g., cancer) at no additional out-of-pocket costs?
  • Would you make sure to implement a telehealth solution so they weren’t away from the office as much?
  • Would you provide them with an onsite gym?
  • Would you provide them with healthy food onsite?

It seems like you would look at these types of decisions differently.  It wouldn’t be about the lowest healthcare premium.  It wouldn’t be about pushing them to a limited network.  It wouldn’t be about limiting their choice.  It wouldn’t be about shifting costs.  It would be about guiding them to make choices that kept them happy, productive, and engaged so that they could do the best work for you.

This would involve addressing stress.  It would involve addressing sleep patterns.  It would involve helping them create a work-life balance.

General Thoughts, Healthcare, Leadership, Value Propositions

Body Peace Treaty As Mentioned On Biggest Loser

February 24, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

I was finally catching up on my Biggest Loser shows yesterday.  They talked about the Body Peace Treaty from Seventeen magazine. Not something I read, but there are some good points in the treaty.  Here are a few for you.

  • Do the little things that will keep my body healthy, like walking instead of hanging on the couch, or drinking water rather than something sugary.
  • Appreciate what makes my body different from anyone else’s. I love that I’m unique on the inside, I will try to feel that way about the outside too!
  • Support my friends, who just like me, have their own body issues. Hey, we’re all in this together!
  • Remember that the sun will still rise tomorrow even if I had one too many slices of pizza or an extra scoop of ice cream tonight.
  • Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks — even if it seems harmless — because I’d never want anyone to do that to me.
  • Remind myself that what you see isn’t always what you get on TV and in ads — it takes a lot of airbrushing, dieting, money, and work to look like that.
  • Respect my body by feeding it well, working up a sweat when it needs it, and knowing when to give it a break.
  • Realize that the mirror can reflect only what’s on the surface of me, not who I am inside.
  • Not let my size define me. It’s far better to focus on how awesome I look in my jeans than the number on the tag.
  • Surround myself with positive people. True friends are there to lift me up when I’m feeling low and won’t bring me down with criticism, body bashing, or gossip.

So, while some of the things on the list may be more biased towards young women, the fundamentals are the same for all of us.

Books / Articles, exercise, Healthcare
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10 Lessons Learned From Losing Weight

February 22, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

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This is the 3rd time in my life that I’ve lost over 10% of my body weight.  I’ve tried it with all exercise.  I’ve tried it with all diet changes.  And, this time, I think I’ve gotten smarter and am doing it with a combination of both thanks to technology which is helping me to track calories in and out.  I try to work towards a 500 calorie deficit every day.

With that in mind, here’s a few lessons learned.

  1. It doesn’t ever really get easier, but it can become a habit (e.g., running) and the norm (e.g., eating better).  It’s a lifestyle not an event.
  2. You eat more calories than you think.  It’s all about Eat This Not That.  (e.g., the blueberry bagel I ate the other day had more calories than a Dunkin Donuts donut.)  A lot of this happens with bread and rolls and to share a quote I heard the other day – “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’re dead.”
  3. Food is tied up in all our holidays and celebrations.  (e.g., celebrating with cake and ice cream, neighborhood BBQ, holiday dinner)  You need to learn to take part in these and then burn some extra calories or enjoy in moderation.  You will be very frustrated if everything is about denial and not having access to these foods.  As I heard a clinician address this question earlier this week, it’s better to be good 360 days a year than to feel like you’ve failed when you participate in these holiday events.
  4. Losing weight isn’t just about food and exercise…it’s mental about your attitude.  (e.g., do you stress eat and what will you do in the future?)
  5. It’s worth it, but it’s hard work.  I look back at my time doing the Insanity workout and their advertisements.  I think they make the point that you have to work hard to get results.  (and it’s one of the hardest workouts that I’ve ever tried…and couldn’t finish.)
  6. You can’t change if everyone around you isn’t changing.  Weight is tied into your social circle as many examples have shown.
  7. It takes a while for people to recognize your weight loss so keep yourself motivated with an end goal.  And, make sure to set reasonable goals (e.g., 1-2 lbs a week).  Unless you’re on the Biggest Loser and can work out 3 hours+ a day with a controlled diet, you’re not necessarily going to make huge drops each week.
  8. Technology can help whether it’s BodyMedia, FitBit, Nike Fuel, or one of the many other solutions that are out there.  I’d also add both the idea of a device with a tool for tracking calories (food diary).
  9. Weight loss is tied in with sleep so make sure you get your sleep on a regular basis or you’ll mess up all your efforts.
  10. Travel with healthy snacks since you’ll end up somewhere hungry and be stuck going to fast food or grabbing the candy bar if you don’t have something with you.

 

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exercise, Healthcare

2013 PBMI Presentation On Pharmacy Need To Shift To Value Focus

February 19, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

Today, I’m giving my presentation at the PBMI conference in Las Vegas.  This year, I choose to focus on the idea of shifting from fee-for-service to value-based contracting.  People talk about this relative to ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations) and PCMHs (Patient Centered Medical Homes) from a provider perspective.  There have been several groups such as the Center For Health Value Innovation and others thinking about this for year, but in general, this is mostly a concept.  That being said, I think it’s time for the industry to grab the bull by the horns and force change.

If the PBM industry doesn’t disintermediate itself (to be extreme) then someone will come in and do it for them but per an older post, this ability to adapt is key for the industry.  While the industry may feel “too big to fail”, I’m not sure I agree.  If you listened the to the Walgreens / Boots investor call last week or saw some of things that captive PBMs and other data companies are trying to do, there are lots of bites at the apple.  That being said, I’m not selling my PBM stocks yet.

So, today I’m giving the attached presentation to facilitate this discussion.  I’ve also pre-scheduled some of my tweets to highlight key points (see summary below).

 

Planned PBMI Tweets

Books / Articles, Care Management, Healthcare, inVentiv Health, Marketing / Communications, mHealth, PBM / Pharmacy, Technology, Value Propositions
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59% Of MDs Want To Know About Employer Care Mgmt Efforts

February 12, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

I just came across this survey data from January of 2010 where the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH) did a survey of physicians. I found it really interesting. Let me pull out a few points with some comments…

  • 72% of physicians agree that employers should have a role in improving and maintaining the health of their employees with chronic disease. [Since they ultimately are the one paying the bill, this seems like a reasonable expectation in today’s world.]
  • 59% believe that they should be informed about employer efforts to help their patients manage chronic conditions. [This is increasingly becoming important as we move from a Fee-For-Service (FFS) world to a value-based or outcomes-based healthcare environment.]
  • 46% agree that employers should have a role in helping employees adhere to their medication and treatment regimes. [Since MDs generally don’t view this as their task, if it’s not someone acting on behalf of the employer, I wonder who they think should be doing this.]
  • 32% agree that employers should play no role in the health of patients. [With healthcare impacting productivity and global competitiveness, I think this is an unreasonable expectation.]
  • 61% want the employer to provide physicians with information on what is available to patients so they can counsel them on the value of participation. [How would they want this information and what would they do with it?]
  • 49% would like to receive workplace clinical screening results to reduce redundancies in testing. [Do the other 51% want duplicative testing?]
  • 48% want to receive actionable reports (e.g., screening results, health coaching reports) to support them in treating patients. [I would hope so. If the employer (or really their proxy) is managing the patient in a chronic program, why wouldn’t the physician want this data?]
The study went on to say that physician’s want employers to provide support around weight loss, smoking cessation, flu shots, and other broad programs. They also want the employer to focus on lifestyle change and health improvement not the chronic disease itself. This makes sense, but in general employees are more focused on trusted information coming from their physician not their employer so there’s a clear gap here. (See graph from Aon Hewitt’s 2011 Health Care Survey, New Paths. New Approaches.)
Books / Articles, Care Management, Healthcare, Leadership, Managed Care, Marketing / Communications, Research, Technology
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Only 50% Of Healthcare Companies Respond To Twitter Messages – Test Results

February 11, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 1 Comment

12 Of 23 Companies

As I mentioned a few weeks ago (2/2/13), I wanted to test and see if healthcare companies would respond to consumers via Twitter. To test this, I posted a fairly general question or message on Twitter to see the response (see below). Of the 23 companies that I sent a message to, only 12 of them ever responded even after 6 of them received a 2nd message. Those results are shared below. What I also wanted to look at was the average time to respond along with which group was more likely to respond.

  • PBMs – All of the 3 PBMs that I reached out to responded. (This could be biased by my involvement in this space since two of them e-mailed me directly once I posted a comment.)
  • Pharmacies – Only 2 of the 4 retail pharmacies that I reached out to responded.
  • Disease Management Companies – Only 1 of the 3 that I reached out to responded. (I was surprised since Alere often thanks me for RT (re-tweeting) them, but didn’t respond to my inquiry.)
  • Managed Care – 5 of the 7 companies that I reached out to responded. (For Kaiser, they responded once I changed from @KPNewscenter to @KPThrive.)
  • Health Apps or Devices – Only 1 of the 5 companies that I reached out to responded. (This continues to surprise me. I’ve mentioned @FitBit on my blog and in Twitter numerous times without any response or comment.)
  • Pharmaceutical Manufacturers – Only 1 of the 3 companies that I reached out to responded. (This doesn’t surprise me since they are very careful about social media. @SanofiUS seems to be part of the team that has been pushing the envelope, and they were the ones to respond. I thought about Tweeting the brands thinking that those might be monitored more closely, but I didn’t.)

I will admit to being surprised. I’m sure all of these companies monitor social media so I’m not sure what leads to the lack of response. [I guess I could give them the out that I clearly indicated it was a test and provided a link to my blog so they could have chosen not to respond.]

Regardless, I learned several things:

  1. Some companies have a different Twitter handle for managing customer service.
    1. @ExpressRxHelp
    2. @AetnaHelp
    3. @KPMemberService
  2. Some companies ask you to e-mail them and provide an e-mail.
  3. Some companies tell you to DM (direct message) them to start a dialogue.

From a time perspective, I have to give kudos to the Prime Therapeutics team that responded in a record 2 minutes. Otherwise, here’s a breakout of the times by company with clusters in the first day and approximately 2 days later.

Company

Response Time (Hrs:Min)
Prime Therapeutics

0:02
Aetna

1:12
LoseIt

1:19
Healthways

2:07
Walmart

3:01
Express Scripts

8:35
Kaiser

29:22
BCBSIL

47:32
OptumRx

47:39
BCBSLA

48:18
Sanofi

53:30

I guess one could ask the question of whether to engage consumers via Twitter or simply use the channel more as a push messaging strategy. The reality is that consumers want to engage where they are, and there are a lot of people using Twitter. While it might not be the best way to have a personal discussion around PHI (Protected Health Information) given HIPAA, it certainly seems like a channel that you want to monitor and respond to. It gives you a way to route people to a particular phone number, e-mail, or support process.

As Dave Chase said in his Forbes article “Patient engagement is the blockbuster drug of the century”, this is critical for healthcare companies to figure out.

The CVS Caremark team told me that they actively monitor these channels and engage with people directly. I also talked with one of the people on the Express Scripts social monitoring team who told me that they primarily use social media to disseminate thought leadership and research, but that they actively try to engage with any member who has an actionable complaint. They want to be where the audience is and to quickly take the discussion offline.

If you want to see the questions I asked along with the responses, I’ve posted them below…

Consumerism, Healthcare, Managed Care, Marketing / Communications, Methodology, mHealth, PBM / Pharmacy, Research, Social Media, Technology
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The Prescribing Apps ERA – Will Clinicians Be Ready? #mHealth

February 7, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 1 Comment

Dr. Kraft (@daniel_kraft) recently spoke at FutureMed and talked about the prescribing apps era.  I’ve talked about this concept many times, and I agree that we are rapidly moving in that direction.  And, there’s lots of buzz about whether apps will change behavior and how soon we’ll see “clinical trials” or published data to prove this.

From this site, you can get a recap, but here are the key points that he made:

1) Mobile Phones (quantified self) are becoming constant monitoring devices that create feedback loops which help individuals lead a healthy lifestyle.  Examples include; monitoring glucose levels, blood pressure levels, stress levels, temperature, calories burned, heart rate, arrythmias. Gathering all this information can potentially help the patient make lifestyle changes to avoid a complication, decrease progression of a particular disease, and have quality information regarding his physical emotional state for their physician to tailor his treatment in a more efficient manner.

2) The App prescription ERA:  Just as we prescribe medications prescribing apps to patients will be the future. The reason why this is important is that apps created for particular cases can help the patients understand their disease better and empower them to take better control.

3) Gamification: using games in order to change lifestyle, habits, have been mentioned before. A very interesting concept was that created in the Hope Labs of Stanford. The labs created a game in which children would receive points after there therapeutic regiment, once points were optioned they could shoot and attack the tumor. Helping with the compliance rate of the treatments

4) Lab on a chip and point of care testing

5) Artificial Intelligence like Watson and its application in medicine.

6) Procedure Simulation: Several procedures done by medical professionals follow (not 100%) a see one, do one teach one scenario.  Probably very few people agree with this concept and that is why simulation has great potential. In this case residents, fellows in training can see one, simulate many and then when comfortable do one.

7) Social Networks and Augmented Reality

At the same time, a recent ePocrates study hammered home the point that while this is taking off physicians don’t have a mechanism for which ones to recommend and why.

According to the Epocrates survey, more than 40 percent of physicians are recommending apps to their patients. In terms of the apps being recommended, 72 percent are for patient education, 57 percent are lifestyle change tools, 37 percent are for drug information, 37 percent are for chronic disease management, 24 percent are for medical adherence and 11 percent are to connect the patient to an electronic health record portal.

Physicians also have several different sources for identifying which apps to recommend to their patients. According to the survey, 41 percent get advice from a friend or colleague, while 38 percent use an app store, another 38 percent use an Internet search engine, 23 percent learn of an app from another patient or patients, and 21 percent use the app themselves.

That said, the survey also notes that more than half of the physicians contacted said they don’t know which apps are “good to share.”

As I’ve discussed before, this is somewhat of the Wild West.  Patients are buying and downloading apps based on what they learn about.  They’d love for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other trusted sources to help them.  But, those clinicians are often not technology savvy (or at least many of the ones who are actively practicing).  There are exceptions to the norm and those are the ones in the news and speaking at conferences.

IMHO…consumers want to know the following:

  1. Which apps make sense for me based on my condition?
  2. Will that app be relevant as I move from newly diagnosed to maintenance?
  3. Should I pay for an app or stick with the free version?
  4. Is my data secure?
  5. Will this app allow me to share data with my caregiver or case manager?
  6. Will this app have an open API for integration with my other apps or devices?
  7. Is it intuitive to use?
  8. Will this company be around or will I be able to port my data to another app if the company goes away?
  9. Is the information clinically sound?
  10. Is the content consumer friendly?
  11. Is it easy to use?
  12. Is there an escalation path if I need help with clinical information?
  13. Will my employer or health plan pay for it for me?
  14. Is my data secure?

And, employers and payers also have lots of questions (on top of many of the ones above):

  1. Is this tool effective in changing behavior?
  2. Should I promote any apps to my members?
  3. Should I pay for the apps?
  4. How should I integrate them into my care system?
  5. Do my staff need to have them, use them, and be able to discuss them with the patient?  (Do they do that today with their member portal?)

mhealth_infographic_large

Books / Articles, Business Tools, Consumerism, Healthcare, Infographic, Innovation, Leadership, Managed Care, Marketing / Communications, mHealth, Research, Social Media, Software, Technology, Value Propositions
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Less Than 1/3rd Of Health Insurers Very Confident In Their Big Data Value To Consumers

February 6, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

With all the discussions these days on Big Data and how to use information to create insights and wisdom, I was really shocked when I looked back at this PWC survey from 2011.  In it, less than 1/3rd of health insurers were very confident in their use of informatics to add value around case management, disease management, wellness, and consumer health tools.  WHAT???

This seems crazy to me.  In this interconnected world where everyone is talking about connected devices, mHealth, and ENGAGEMENT, health insurers are in the optimal position to leverage their data to provide insights, to provide transparency, to create algorithms, to be preventative in their actions, etc.  Maybe their technology platforms are too old?  Maybe they’re too silo’d?  I’m not sure.  But, I find this an interesting arbitrage opportunity.

With a system that integrates data from claims, labs, patient reported sources, HRAs, and biometrics, you can add value by creating a personalized patient experience that adapts with their needs.

Clinical Informations for Care Mgmt

Care Management, Healthcare, Marketing / Communications, Methodology, Research
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Two Examples Of How Healthcare Is Going Local

February 6, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 3 Comments

I remember when I first started working in the healthcare industry in 1998, people kept reinforcing for me that “Healthcare is Local”.  As we move into a national effort to transform healthcare, the question is how will healthcare transform to gain scale efficiencies while still taking advantage of this simple reality.

With that in mind, I found a WSJ article today about hospitals trying house calls very interesting.  It talks about how insurers and health systems are using the old fashion model of house calls to engage patients to reduce re-admissions and improve outcomes…while lowering costs.  Since healthcare costs are massively concentrated with 1% of patients driving 22% of healthcare costs, this becomes possible.  Additionally, as you focus .  on people at high risk based on some model like the Johns Hopkins ACG model or people who have been recently discharged or people with multiple co-morbidities and other risk factors, you have a chance to make a difference.  It will be interesting to see how this takes off.

Another example of how healthcare is going local is the use of health apps.  I saw a number earlier today where someone was saying there’s now 50,000 health apps.  I usually talk about 16,000, but it’s obviously going up all the time.  Employee Benefit News recently had an article about how health apps were changing the engagement rates for wellness programs.  Obviously, the phone is the ultimate in local allowing the creation of an app that’s with us all the time and can be real-time in terms of interactivity.

Books / Articles, Healthcare, Research

Wellness In The Workplace – Optum Research

February 6, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

I found a summary of this Optum Study – Wellness In The Workplace in the January 2013 Employee Benefit News:

  • 56% of companies (surveyed) have a formal, written strategic plan for wellness
  • 28% of companies have an onsite clinic
  • 49% of eligible employees participate in company wellness programs (seems really high to me)
  • 90% of companies with 3,000+ employees say wellness solutions are an important part of their benefits (compared with 79% of employers with 2-99 employees)
  • 83% of companies use coaching to address weigh management
  • The top barriers to employee participation are:
    • Lack of time / energy
    • Lack of interest
    • Effective communications
  • 52% of companies offer wellness programs to employee’s family members
  • Onsite clinics are offering:
    • 77% flu shots
    • 56% wellness communications
    • 43% fitness challenges
    • 42% preventative care
    • 41% health risk assessments

wellness participation

Books / Articles, Healthcare, Marketing / Communications, Research

Would A Robot Therapist Solve Your Problem?

February 5, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

Wired had an article recently about how robots are replacing people over time.  The article talked about TUG which is a robot used in hospitals.  It also mentioned MindMentor.com which it called the site of the world’s first robot therapist.  Interestingly, it says that after a 1-2 hour session, that 47% of patients said that their problems were solved.  From the 2008 article, it sounds like there’s some opportunities for improvement in terms of NLP, avatars, and other technologies.

That seems high.  I would think it would take more sessions.  Additionally, I would think that people don’t get their problems solved that easily.

While this solution is on sabatical (due to lack of funding), the article went on to talk about USC’s Bandit robot for kids with autism.

Healthcare, Innovation, Research, Technology

Healthcare Companies On The 100 Best Companies To Work For

February 5, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

Here’s a list of the Healthcare companies that were on the 2013 “100 Best Companies To Work For” list by Fortune.

  • #3 – CHG Healthcare Services
  • #17 – REI (although more of a retail company from the traditional view)
  • #20 – Millennium
  • #21 – W.L. Gore
  • #32 – JM Family Enterprises
  • #36 – Genentech
  • #39 – Meridian Health
  • #41 – Mayo Clinic
  • #43 – Scripps Health
  • #46 – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
  • #48 – Novo Nordisk
  • #49 – Atlantic Health System
  • #52 – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
  • #58 – The Everett Clinic
  • #61 – Stryker
  • #67 – The Methodist Hospital System
  • #69 – OhioHealth
  • #76 – Baptist Health South Florida
  • #89 – Roche Diagnostics

Given how much healthcare companies should know about the importance of workplace satisfaction and it’s correlation with overall health (less stress), healthcare costs, and overall presenteeism and absenteeism, I personally would expect more on the list.

Books / Articles, Healthcare

Guest Post: The Reality Of Health Insurance Exchanges

February 4, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

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The legislation has passed and the legal challenges are, for all intents and purposes, exhausted. It’s time for American businesses and individuals to start dealing with the reality that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, is now the law of the land.

Health Insurance Exchanges

One of the most important provisions of the PPACA created state and federal health insurance exchanges, online marketplaces that will offer people and businesses the opportunity to shop for health insurance plans on the Internet and choose the plan and premiums that fit their needs. They will be able to start buying insurance on Oct. 1, 2013, but the plans won’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2014. And, if all goes according to White House predictions, the exchanges will help individuals and small businesses shop for insurance coverage and get a better deal than they’ve been able to garner in the past.

In fact, the federal government will subsidize health insurance premiums for many Americans. For instance, Washington will pay for part of your premiums if your annual income is between $15,302 and $46,021 for an individual and from $31,155 to $93,700 for a family of four. Those who earn less than $15,302 probably qualify for Medicaid, which is not available through the health insurance exchanges. At the same time, if you currently have high-end coverage, holding on to it may cost you big time in the form of taxes.

Depending on your point of view, the health insurance exchanges will either fuel competition among insurance companies and increase the size of the insurance pool, which will in turn make insurance more affordable and more accessible, or the exchanges will burden American taxpayers and the country’s economy as a whole with ever-increasing health care costs.

Financial Sense

If you own a business, you’ll have to decide what makes more financial sense: providing your employees with some type of health insurance plan or letting them purchase their own insurance through the newly-established health insurance exchanges.

Businesses and individuals will be able to buy one of three levels of health insurance from the exchanges. The most expensive plans will have lower deductibles, while those insured under the least expensive plans will have higher out-of-pocket costs. Deductibles will be no more than $5,950 a year for individuals and $11,900 for families. According to the White House, an estimated 23 million Americans will buy their health insurance through the exchanges.

Health Plans Will Cover…

All plans sold under the health insurance exchanges will cover:

  • Emergency services;
  • Hospitalization;
  • Maternity and newborn care;
  • Mental health and substance abuse services, including behavioral health treatment;
  • Prescription drugs;
  • Rehabilitative services and devices;
  • Preventive and wellness services, as well as chronic disease management;
  • Pediatric services, including oral and vision care.

Probably the most controversial parts of the PPACA are provisions that (1) prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and (2) permit individuals to get around the rule that they must have health insurance by paying a fine that is less costly than the insurance itself. This could mean that some people will pay the fine ñ a tax, actually, according to the Supreme Court ñ until they get sick, at which point, they will buy health insurance.

In the past, insurance companies have refused to pay for necessary health care because of pre-existing conditions. According to a study by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, between 2007 and 2009, the nation’s four largest insurers ñ Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint ñ rejected 212,800 claims for this reason. This will no longer be an option for insurers.

In addition, the PPACA will get rid of lifetime and annual limits on plans purchased through health insurance exchanges. This will eliminate the possibility of financial ruin for individuals ñ and the employers who insure them ñ with long-term and unusually expensive medical issues.

Who Will Run The Exchanges?

The states now have until Feb. 15, 2013 to decide whether they will set up their own health insurance exchanges. Unsure of the ultimate cost of doing so, many states have chosen to let the federal government handle that job.

As of the end of 2012, 18 states, mostly in the far West and the Northeast, had chosen to establish their own health insurance exchanges. Twenty-five states, many of them in the South and the Midwest, had decided to let the federal government operate the exchanges, while another seven states had opted for a partnership with Washington.

Regardless of who is operating the health insurance exchange in your state, the way you purchase insurance is going to change. You probably won’t know for sure who the winners and losers will be in the new world of health care until all the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are implemented.

How will these new rules affect you and your family? Do you see the centralization as a good thing or a bad thing?

This post was provided by John Egan is managing editor of Insurance Quotes, a popular insurance website that provides online services to consumers seeking Auto Insurance knowledge and savings on their car insurance policies.

Guest Post, Healthcare

How Quickly Do Healthcare Companies Respond To Twitter Comments? (Test)

February 2, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

I was intrigued by this test done over in the UK to look at how quickly retailers responded to comments via Twitter (you can see an infographic about similar US data below).  Obviously, more and more consumers are using social media.  And, we know that comments can go viral quickly especially when they’re negative.

“A recent Spherion Staffing Services survey shows that when consumers have a good customer service experience, 47 percent are likely to tell a company representative; 17 percent will express their opinions via social media; and 15 percent will write a review. The same survey from 2010 showed that only 40 percent of consumers were likely to share a great experience with a company representative—proving that consumers are becoming more vocal with companies they interact with. If consumers have a poor experience, 36 percent are willing to write a complaint directly to the company, and one in four will express their opinions on social media. Nineteen percent, the same statistic as last year, will choose to write a review online.” (December 2011 Study)

Of course, some people actively monitor their social media feeds while others view them more as a PR channel.  It also depends on whether the feed management is outsourced or insource and whether it’s monitored by marketing, operations, customer service, sales, or some combined team.

Here’s a good post on measuring response and activity within Twitter accounts.

So, what I’ve decided to do is a Twitter test similar to the one above.  I’m going to post the following to different categories of healthcare companies and see how quickly they respond.

  1. To retail pharmacies:  Are you using social media to handle customer service?
  2. To PBMs:  Are you using social media to handle customer service?
  3. To Managed Care: Where’s the best place to find out about your Medicare products?
  4. To mHealth companies:  Can you share examples of how employers are promoting your products?
  5. To pharma:  Are you doing any value-based contracting with PBMs?
  6. To device companies:  Can you share examples of how employers are promoting your products?

Who do you think will be the fastest to respond?  Will the bigger companies simply have more resources to monitor and staff their teams or with more digital companies be more in tune with social media?

KeepingUpWithTwitter_2

Books / Articles, Business Tools, Healthcare, Infographic, Managed Care, Marketing / Communications, mHealth, PBM / Pharmacy, Research, Social Media
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Why We Need Whole Patient Adherence Programs

January 30, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

While prescription adherence continues to be a $290B+ problem, we still address the problem in a drug by drug approach due to silos within our healthcare value chain.

For example:

  • Generic drugs (about 80% of the prescriptions filled) are the lowest cost and most profitable drugs (to the suppliers).  For these medications, you’ll usually have several programs:
    • Refill reminder calls, text messages, letters
      • From the PBM
      • From the retail pharmacy
      • From the mail pharmacy
  • Auto-refill programs
  • Brand drugs are usually higher cost and profitable (to the manufacturers).  For these, you have pharma funded programs such as:
    • Messaging attached to your bill at the pharmacy
    • Letters sent to your house by the pharmacy
    • Specialty drugs which are the highest cost and typically profitable (across the supply chain).  For these, companies often take a higher touch approach:
      • Pharmacy techs calling you
      • Nurses calling you

Additionally, there is additional effort made to keep you adherent if:

  • You’re a Medicare Advantage member in one of the categories where adherence is measured for the STAR metrics program
  • You’re have a condition where adherence is a key metric for HEDIS or some other quality program

For those of us that have studied adherence, you know that this is a multi-factorial issue meaning that there are numerous things that impact your adherence.  Some people will respond to nudging.  Some people need to better understand their disease.  Some people need co-pay relief or patient assistance programs.  Some people need a different medication.

But, the two things we don’t need are:

  • Being treated like a disease not a patient
  • Getting 4, 5, 10 different communications from different parties on different schedules

So, what’s the answer.  There isn’t a silver bullet (which is what we’d all like).  I believe the best alternative is to drive adherence through the disease management and case management companies.  These nurses are treating the patient.  They are discussing their multiple co-morbidities with them.  They are talking about and understanding their barriers.  They should be able to help “prescribe” information and tools to help them with their adherence.

Of course, the issue here is engagement.  If we’re only getting 10% of the patients with chronic illnesses to participate in our programs (which is about the national average – I believe), what about the other 90%.  This is where a care coordination program that incorporated the provider and the pharmacy into a technology solution which pushed gaps-in-care and messaging through the EMR and pharmacy system to drive coordinated solutions is the answer.

I don’t know when this will happen, but I don’t believe we’re going to put a dent in adherence until we think differently about this problem.

Care Management, Healthcare, Innovation, Marketing / Communications, Methodology, PBM / Pharmacy
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The Quest For The Stinkless Workout Shirt

January 29, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

Any workout can lead to a nice sweaty shirt that can stink, but when you’re traveling, that can be a real issue.  You can certainly bring multiple sets of workout clothes on your trip, but that’s not always efficient packing.  So, if you bring one outfit and workout multiple times, it can start to be problematic by the second, third, or fourth run in the same clothes.

Now, to make it even worse, you can travel to different cities where each day you run then pack up the sweaty clothes, lock them in your car all day, jump on a plane, and unroll them 12 hours later.  I’ve wondered for years why someone didn’t develop a bag with some basic chemical in there that you could put your clothes in where it would absorb the sweat and freshen the clothes.

Well…I may have found another answer.  I just bought one of the LuLuLemon Silverescent shirts which they said is anti-stink.  I was skeptical, but I’ve put it to the test.

  • No stink after running in it.
  • No stink after rolling it up (post-workout) and leaving it in a laundry basket for a week.
  • No stink after wearing it several times back-to-back.

exercise, Healthcare, Value Propositions

Google Glass Plus The Checklist Manifesto

January 29, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 1 Comment

I continue to think about all the cool ways that Google Glass could be used to change healthcare.  Here’s my thought from today.

You could combine The Checklist Manifesto concept with Google Glass to allow surgeons to be reminded of the things they need to do with a patient while they were during the encounter or during the procedure.

In complex situations – such as those which arise in almost every profession and industry today – the solutions to problems are technical and demanding. There are often a variety of different ways to solve a problem. It’s all too easy to get so caught up dealing with all these complexities that the most obvious and common sense immediate solutions are not tried first. To overcome this problem, take a leaf from the commercial aviation industry and develop checklists people can use to make sure every base is covered quickly and concisely. Checklists are a forgotten or ignored business tool. It’s time for them to come in from the cold. 

“Here, then, is our situation at the start of the twenty-first century:We have accumulated stupendous know-how. We have put it in the hands of some of the most highly trained, highly skilled, and hardworking people in our society. And with it, they have accomplished extraordinary things. Nonetheless, that know-how is often unmanageable. Avoidable failures are common and persistent, not to mention demoralizing and frustrating, across many fields – from medicine to finance, business to government. And the reason is increasingly evident: the volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly, safely, or reliably. Knowledge has both saved us and burdened us. That means we need a different strategy for overcoming failure, one that builds on experience and takes advantage of the knowledge people have but somehow also makes up for our human inadequacies. And there is such a strategy – though it will seem almost ridiculous in its simplicity, maybe even crazy to those of us who have spent years carefully developing ever more advanced skills and technologies. It is a checklist.”

(This is from this PDF on The Checklist Manifesto.)

Here’s an example of a checklist from the WHO.

 

Books / Articles, Business Tools, Healthcare, Innovation, Methodology, mHealth, Technology

PHM Is The New Black Post At CCA Blog With Diabetes Examples

January 25, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

This is a partial copy (teaser) of a guest blog I did on the Care Continuum Alliance blog earlier this week.

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With all the talk about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs), the adoption curve for the Care Continuum Alliance (CCA) model for Population Health Management (PHM) should move beyond the innovators in 2013 and begin to “Cross the Chasm.” I believe there are several preconditions that would set the stage for this to occur, for instance:

  1. Technology advances leading to the “Big Data” focus;
  2. The changing paradigm from fee-for-service to outcomes-based care;
  3. The realization of the role of the consumer led by the e-Patient movement, the idea of the Quantified Self, and the focus of large healthcare enterprises on being consumer centric; and
  4. The budget crisis that is driving employers and other payers to embrace PHM, wellness, and other initiatives that impact cost and productivity.

Of course, most companies are still in the infancy of designing systems to address this coordinated care model, which does not view the patient as a claim, but longitudinally aggregates demographical, psychosocial and claims data.  Additionally, training staff using Motivational Interviewing and integrating external staff into the virtual care team in partnership with the provider will continue to evolve as do our care delivery models.

To read more especially the diabetes examples that I shared, please click over to their blog.  Thanks.

 

Books / Articles, Care Management, Guest Post, Healthcare, Innovation, Leadership, Managed Care, Marketing / Communications, Methodology, mHealth, Research, Value Propositions, Weblogs
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Physician Information From The Patient’s Care Manager

January 24, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

Long gone are the days where a small practice can afford to have an onsite case manager.  Aggressive cost cutting, defensive medicine, and other pressures continue to pull at the budget for running a practice for most physicians.

At the same time, the value of a nurse or pharmacist to work with the patient to coordinate care, provide medication reconciliation, and answer clinical questions has been demonstrated in numerous settings.

Of course, most patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes or asthma or even cancer often have a disease manager or case manager provided to them by their employer through a population health management company or their health insurer.  So, if this work is being done, what should be done to coordinate this care with their PCP or their specialist?

I’ve never seen it done when which prompts several questions:

  1. What information a physician would want to receive?
  2. In what format?
  3. And, with what frequency?

Here are some of my ideas:

  1. A copy of the care plan that’s been created for the patient based on evidence-based guidelines.
  2. A list of any gaps-in-care that have been identified and discussed with the patient.
  3. Any assessment that has been made of the patient’s risk level along with information about how that assessment was made – i.e., claims based modeling versus nurse based assessment.
  4. Information about the patient’s Rx adherence and/or barriers to adherence.

But, what about things like:

  1. Benefit information.  Does the physician want to better understand any network limitations, Centers of Excellence, or other clinical pathways to be followed?
  2. mHealth.  Does the physician want to understand any apps that the patient is using and how that data is being incorporated into the care plan?

The more challenging question is how to deliver this information in a valuable format.

  1. Direct mail seems slow and difficult to manage.
  2. Faxing seems quick but an outdated modality.
  3. Secure e-mail could work, but I don’t think most physicians want to have multiple secure e-mail accounts to coordinate.
  4. A physician portal could be efficient, but probably only if there’s a concentration of patients at that office that use the same care management company.
  5. Integration into the EMR is probably ideal, but this is a challenge with all the different vendors out there.

The other question is frequency.  Should this data be provided after every interaction?  Should it be batched and provided weekly or monthly?

And, in the case of print materials, should the data be sent per patient or aggregated per physician?  It would seem overwhelming to get one letter with data on 20 patients, but on the other hand, having 20 letters would allow the information to be more easily filed per patient.

This type of coordination is critical as we move from a fee-for-service to an outcomes-based environment where care coordination is more important than ever.

Care Management, Healthcare, Marketing / Communications

Guest Post: Is It Too Late To Avoid The Flu?

January 24, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com Senior Editor

The 2012-13 flu season is shaping up to be one of the worst in years. If you or your loved ones haven’t succumbed yet, these steps can help you stay healthy. And if someone does get sick, many of the same steps can prevent a wider spread of infection.

Get a flu shot. No, it’s not too late. This year’s shot only offers 62 percent effectiveness, according to Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it’s still considered the number-one prevention tool.

Give the flu shot time to kick in. It can take one to two weeks for a flu shot to offer protection (see: How Long Does It Take for a Flu Shot to Offer Protection? for more information on flu shot protection). So don’t expect instant immunity.

Keep vulnerable loved ones away from crowds. Given how widespread the flu already is, we’re all courting trouble by hanging out in crowded public places like shopping malls. But those who should especially keep away include the very young, the frail old, and those with health conditions that weaken the immune system or who are using treatments that can affect the immune system, such as.

Keep suspicious visitors away from vulnerable loved ones. If you live with someone with a chronic illness or who is a frail older adult, be a good gatekeeper. If a guest has a cough, a runny nose, or is complaining about being under the weather, don’t endure a visit. Invite him or her back at a better (healthier) time.

Stay home if you’re feeling under the weather. Best to avoid crowds, including the workplace, when your immune system is low. And in case your symptoms mean you’re coming down with something, you can avoid infecting others.

Wash hands often. Pretend you’re obsessive-compulsive and do it all day long. Be sure to wash hands (with soap and water or hand sanitizer) after touching doorknobs.

Become a clean freak. Stock up on cleaning supplies. You may use them more if you have them handy right in each bathroom and the kitchen. Wipe down surfaces often. Bring portable wipes to work so you can keep your keyboard and any shared spaces cleaner, too.

Try a face mask. It’s not clear they’re super-effective, but in a situation where some people are sick, they can provide an added barrier between a frail older adult and the flu.

Stay well hydrated. Keeping nasal passages moist helps them resist germs. Drinking lots of water and using nasal saline sprays helps — especially when flying, as aircraft cabin air is dry.

Get at-risk groups to the doctor at the earliest symptoms. Very young children and the very old should get swift treatment, says the CDC. Medicines such as Tamiflu work best within the first 48 hours.

About the Author

Paula Spencer Scott is senior editor at Caring.com, the leading online destination for caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses, and other loved ones. Paula is a 2011 MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging fellow and writes extensively about health and caregiving. You may also want to see Paula’s article 7 Ways to Have Fun While Fighting Cold and Flu.

Books / Articles, Care Management, Guest Post, Healthcare

CVS Caremark Adherence Study – Is Facebook The Solution To Adherence?

January 22, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

A new study funded by CVS Caremark as part of their ongoing research into medication adherence was recently published.

“Association Between Different Types of Social Support and Medication Adherence,” December 2012 issue of American Journal of Managed Care

In this, researchers reviewed 50 peer-reviewed articles about studies which directly measured the relationship between medication adherence and four categories of social support, including:

  • Structural support – marital status, living arrangements and size of the patient’s social network
  • Practical support – helping patients by paying for medications, picking up prescriptions, reading labels, filling pill boxes and providing transportation
  • Emotional support – providing encouragement and reassurance of worth, listening and providing spiritual support
  • Combination support – any combination of the three support structures detailed above

According to the study, greater practical support was more often linked to improved medication adherence, with 67 percent of the studies evaluating practical support finding a significant association between the support and medication adherence.

It drives some interesting questions as you dig into the actual research.  I sent several questions to Troyen A. Brennan, MD, MPH, who is the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Caremark, and heads the research initiative that conducted the study.  Here are his responses:

1. How will this research change CVS Caremark’s approach to medication adherence such as your Adherence to Care program? 

CVS Caremark’s Adherence to Care program is all about engaging patients more consistently and directly to ensure they are following their medication regimes. We understand that our patients’ social networks and communication preferences are diverse, and we know that multi-dimensional interventions help to change behaviors. Given these factors, this research can be an important reference point as we develop new approaches to our adherence programs, challenging us to look beyond traditional engagement strategies in an effort to most effectively support patients on their path to better health. We are planning to test some interventions along these lines in 2013.  As a pharmacy innovation company, we want to make sure we are anticipating patient needs and remaining relevant to them especially given the changing face of social communication and networks.  

2.  The data points required to assess these support factors aren’t readily available in the eligibility file or claims file.  Are you collecting that data at the POS or during the enrollment process and using it in any way to determine the correct intervention cadence or level of effort at an individual level?

While this may not be the standard today, it is clear from the research that a patient’s social network and resulting support can be important factors in helping them take their medications as directed. This research can help us and others in the industry think about how best to incorporate new approaches to identify and leverage social networks for greater medication adherence.  For now, we will rely on POS as a way to collect this type of information.

 

  • 3.  To me, it appeared the data was less conclusive than I would like.  There were lots of conflicting data points and qualitative data.  Do you plan to refine this testing within your population to look at differences across disease states and relative to other factors?

 

This study relied on a comprehensive analysis of current literature linking medication adherence to social support networks – so we recognize that there are limitations in being able to draw concrete conclusions on certain factors, such as disease-specific conditions. Regardless, we still believe these findings – which look at clinical, peer-reviewed studies – contribute to the knowledge base in our field. As with all of the research we conduct, we challenge our teams to consider how we might be able to use the information to find practical supports for patients, while at the same time contributing to awareness about the implications of adherence on the broader health care landscape. The best way to understand this research is as hypothesis generating, which we can use in the design of real interventions that we can then test definitively in subsequent studies.

4.        Some of these social factors might be correlated with depression.  Was there any screening done to look at how depression as a co-morbidity might have affected adherence rates?

The methodology of this study relied on literature review and analysis of fifty peer-reviewed research articles which directly measured the relationship between medication adherence and forms of social support. A full review of the medical conditions associated with these studies can be found in Appendix 1. While depression, alone, was not one of the conditions featured in these studies, several did look at mental health conditions and the linkage between adherence and social networks. We did not however stratify by existence of depression—it may be a factor we have to take into account in future studies.

5.   The one thing that I read between the lines was the need for a caregiver strategy.  This has been missing in the industry for years.  Does CVS Caremark have an approach to engaging the caregivers?

 

Our study found that practical support such as picking up prescriptions, reading labels and filling pill boxes – all within the realm of a given caregiver’s role – were the most significant in driving greater adherence. Considering this finding, and acknowledging the role caretakers have in the lives of our patients, there is certainly space for us to develop solutions that engage caretakers more effectively. Recent analyses of “buddy” programs do suggest such interventions do work- -we just need to consider how to scale it.

 

  • 6.        With all this talk about social networks, it naturally leads you to a discussion about Facebook (or Google+).  Neither of them have big focuses in the healthcare space.  In your opinion, will these tools offer an intervention approach for changing behavior around medication or will that be occur at the disease community level in tools like PatientsLikeMe or CureTogether where there’s no social bond but a connectivity around disease? 

 

 The role of social media has changed the way we communicate and connect with one another dramatically over the past decade. What we can say, based on this particular study, is that the more practical the support, the more significant the impact on medication adherence. Perhaps further studies looking into solutions that effectively combine online/social media platforms to complement practical support would help clarify their impact on medication adherence.

If interested, here are some of their other presentations on adherence:

Books / Articles, Healthcare, PBM / Pharmacy, Press, Research, Social Media
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New mHealth App – Interactive HRA – Recommendations – Zuum

January 21, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

In the Winter 2012 Innovate Magazine from Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University Physicians, they talk about a new iPad app that they developed that calculates disease risk and offers a customized plan.

I just downloaded it and used it.  Here’s my quick summary:

  • Nice GUI (graphical user interface)
  • Easy to use HRA (health risk assessment)
  • Cool interactive tool (you can see how your risk for certain diseases changes with your changes in behavior)
  • Content seems to be well written with basic health literacy taken into account
  • Links out to more research and content
  • Messaging feature (which I guess will push me updates and other messages over time)

Overall, it seems like a nicer than normal HRA with the ability to interact with it.  My question would be how it integrates with my care team and how it gets used over time.  If this integrated into my other devices and monitored my data, it would seem more valuable than a standalone app, but I certainly think it’s great for a one-time use.

If you’re interested in downloading it, you can go to iTunes here.

Zuum 2 Zuum 1

Healthcare, Innovation, Marketing / Communications, mHealth, Research
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3500 Calories To Lose A Pound – Myth?

January 21, 2013 by George Van Antwerp 0 Comments

Well, it’s not that straightforward (of course), but 3,500 calories does equal a pound of fat so it’s a good rule of thumb (in my non-clinical opinion).

So, to figure out when this does or doesn’t work, I looked at the this article in the Journal of Obesity which was very difficult to understand, but here’s a discussion on MyFitnessPal that discusses it in something closer to plain language.  You can also see this article in the NY Times about de-bunking this myth.

So, if it’s wrong, why use it as a rule of thumb?  IMHO  I believe it gives you some numbers to track just understand that it’s not a perfect correlation.  But, if you take in less calories than you burn and focus on creating a deficit, then you’ll be doing the right things – being active and watching what you eat.  Of course, you can go work with a Registered Dietician to help you actually understand and refine your plan to address the gap between this assumption and reality.

mythbusters

exercise, Healthcare, Marketing / Communications, Research, Value Propositions
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