Impact of a Personal Health Coach Program on Dental and Medical Utilization, Use of Health Education Services and Patient Satisfaction

Objective: The use of a personal health coach may facilitate timely entry into dental, medical and health education services. However, research in this area is limited. We examined the association of use of a personal health coach with dental utilization, medical utilization, use of health education services and satisfaction with services.

Study Design: Participants were current Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW) medical plan members classified as obese and/or tobacco users new to the KPNW dental plan. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups: 1) intervention group (n=318) or 2) usual care group (n=342). Members randomized to the intervention group, received intensive health messaging from a personal health coach that facilitated appointments through dental/medical appointment centers and promoted general health education. Both groups completed a baseline and six month survey to assess use of health education services and overall satisfaction with care. Dental and medical utilization (primary and emergency room) was assessed by electronic medical record.

Results: At 6-months post-randomization, the intervention group was significantly (p < .05) more likely to utilize dental care ( 78% vs. 52%), compared to the usual care group. Six-months post randomization, intervention participants reported higher use of health education services (48% vs. 11%) and higher patient satisfaction scores (40% vs. 34%), compared to baseline; while the usual care group reported no differences for these measures. No differences were reported in medical utilization for either group.

Conclusions: Use of a personal health coach was effective to increase: use of dental services, use of health educations services and overall satisfaction with care.