ACTIVEHEALTH MANAGEMENT'S MEMBER MESSAGING INCREASES COMPLIANCE WITH EVIDENCE-BASED CLINICAL ALERTS
Study Shows the Addition of Member Messaging to Physician Messaging Increases Compliance with ActiveHealth's Care Considerations by 16 Percent
NEW YORK — September 14, 2007 — ActiveHealth Management (ActiveHealth®), a clinically-based, technology-driven health management services company, today announced the results of a year-long study to determine the incremental value of sending evidence-based clinical alerts to members. The study found that compliance with ActiveHealth's Care Considerations increased by 16% when sent to both physicians and members, compared to when alerts are sent to physicians alone.
Care Considerations are the product of ActiveHealth's CareEngine® System, the company's patented clinical decision support technology. CareEngine® works by continuously gathering the medical, pharmacy and lab claims data for 15.4 million members and comparing it against the latest findings in evidence-based literature. When gaps in care, medical errors and quality issues are identified, Care Considerations are issued. Initially only sent to physicians (physician messaging), ActiveHealth started communicating Care Considerations to members (member messaging) in 2006.
"It has been our belief that sending clinical alerts to members would increase compliance, thereby enhancing patient safety and accelerating the application of evidence-based standards of care," said Lonny Reisman, MD, CEO of ActiveHealth. "Looked at another way, it would provide members with a new tool for assuming responsibility and improving the quality of their own care. When the first large group of clients rolled out the program, we grasped the opportunity to conduct a controlled study of the impact of member messaging."
The study measured compliance with Care Considerations in a baseline year (2005) and a study year (2006). The study compared the overall change in compliance in a study group versus a control group, as well as change by level of clinical urgency and type of Care Consideration. The study group consisted of four large employers that added the member messaging service in January 2006. The control group consisted of twenty-eight large employers that continued physician alerts but did not add member messaging. The study concluded that adding member messaging to a system of physician alerts improves overall compliance.
"The increased compliance we noticed from adding member messaging may be attributed to two possible scenarios," said Greg Steinberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer of ActiveHealth Management. "First, the alerts are serving as a reminder to patients of instructions already given to them by their physicians, making it more likely that they fill prescriptions or go for recommended tests. It is also possible that the alerts members receive are independently prompting the patients to discuss specific clinical issues with their physicians. A fairly safe bet would be that - to some extent - both processes are taking place."
ActiveHealth will present the full findings of its study at the Disease Management Leadership Forum (DMLF), Sunday, September 16 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Stephen Rosenberg, MD, Senior Vice President of Outcomes Research, ActiveHealth, and Rebecca Main, Director, Benefit Plans, Marriott International, will present "Improving Care for Chronic Conditions with Member-Directed Clinical Alerts" from 9:00 am to 10:00 am in Florentine III & IV.
To learn more about the member messaging study or the company's CareEngine® System, visit DMLF booth #906 or email media@activehealth.net.
About ActiveHealth Management
ActiveHealth Management is a clinically-based, technology-driven health management services company. Health plans, employers and government payors rely on ActiveHealth's CareEngine® System Clinical Decision Support, Disease Management, Health Management and Data Analytics solutions to improve care for those most in need, prevent medical errors, reduce hospitalizations and lower medical costs. Over 15.4 million people nationwide benefit from programs powered by ActiveHealth's patented CareEngine® System. Founded in 1998, ActiveHealth is headquartered in New York City with locations in Chantilly, VA; Chicago, IL; Rolling Meadows, IL; Greenwood Village, CO; and Beachwood, OH. For more information, please visit www.activehealth.net.
# # #
ActiveHealth® and CareEngine® are registered marks of ActiveHealth Management, Inc.
Contacts:
Oonagh Holt
ActiveHealth Management
212.590.2623
oholt@activehealth.net
David Resnic
Schwartz Communications
781.684.0770
activehealth@schwartz-pr.com