Using Values-Based Health Communications to Promote Preventive Care Utilization Among Seniors

Since the late 1990s, Medicare has expanded Part B coverage for preventive health services, including among others, screenings for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, glaucoma and osteoporosis. While many seniors take advantage of these benefits, significant portions do not. These studies demonstrate that there is no one common barrier that explains underutilization. Lack of knowledge (about the disease, screening), fear, lack of physician relationship and poor physician consultation are among some of the major barriers identified. The present studies were designed to investigate beneficiary attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors about preventive health screenings; explore avenues of motivational messaging to encourage higher utilization rates; and identify communication strategies to motivate seniors to make informed decisions about screening. National, qualitative and quantitative research was conducted with seniors and physicians to measure the magnitude of barriers to utilization and guide segmentation of the senior audience. Research with seniors identified core values—control, quality of life, independence, responsibility--that help to motivate engagement in preventive health activities. The findings of this research were used to develop value chain maps to help health communicators develop specific message strategies to motivate positive screening behavior by activating seniors' preventive health care values. CMS is required to help beneficiaries make informed decisions about their health care, and the present research guides CMS to reach out to most effectively educate and motivate beneficiaries regarding preventive services. Similarly, the study gives initial insight into developing communication for information intermediaries who serve Medicare beneficiaries.