142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Call Me Maybe: Lessons from recruitment strategies for a diabetes self-care program for a Medicare Advantage population

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Michael Radmacher, Ph.D. , Department of Clinical Analytics/Clinical Insights and Outcomes Team, Humana, Inc., Louisville, KY
Tristan Cordier, MPH , Department of Clinical Analytics/Clinical Insights & Outcomes Team, Humana, Inc., Louisville, KY
Kristen Augspurger, BS , Proactive Care Strategies, Humana, Inc., Louisville
Gil Haugh, MS , Department of Clinical Analytics/Clinical Insights & Outcomes Team, Humana, Inc., Louisville, KY
Vipin Gopal, Ph.D., MBA , Department of Clinical Analytics, Humana, Inc., Louisville, KY
INTRODUCTION:

In 2012 we actively recruited Medicare Advantage members with diabetes for an 8-week self-care program using randomized recruitment strategies including message theme, message channel, and channel ordering.     

METHODS:

We identified a recruitment cohort of 81,600 eligible persons with diabetes as defined by the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) specifications.  Message themes of “Exclusive Offer” and “Member Experience” were tested across both voice activated technology (VAT) call and direct mail (DM) message channels.  Additionally, members were randomized to receive one of the following two-touch strategies to test message channel and channel order: VAT followed by DM, DM followed by VAT, or DM followed by DM.  We made statistical comparisons to assess the efficacy of theme, channel, and channel ordering as measured by enrollment rates. 

RESULTS:

We observed no difference in enrollment between the two message themes. The enrollment rates differed across the two-touch strategies (χ2, P<0.001), with highest enrollment in the VAT-DM group (9.7%), followed by the DM-VAT group (8.0%), and lowest in the DM-DM group (3.4%).  Additionally, enrollment in the VAT-DM was significantly higher than the DM-VAT group (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION:

Inclusion of VAT as a messaging channel resulted in higher enrollment rates than DM alone, with the highest enrollment rate occurring when VAT was the first touch. Initial VAT contact may have raised awareness of the program so that the subsequent DM was more thoughtfully considered.   The similar costs associated with VAT and DM support the inclusion of VAT as an outreach channel to maximize enrollment rates.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
Identify effective messaging strategies for recruiting persons into a diabetes self-care program. Discuss the potential benefits of using multiple messaging channels for recruitment purposes.

Keyword(s): Chronic Disease Management and Care, Diabetes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked as a biostatistician for over a decade with much experience in analyzing clinical outcomes. For the past two and a half years I have worked with a large health insurer and have been involved in the design and analysis of a diabetes self-care program.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
Humana, Inc. Diabetes Self-Care Employment (includes retainer)

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4293.0: Chronic Disease Management and Self-Care