Are we designing our population health management programs to serve the consumer in the year 2000 or today and beyond?
The power of digital technology continues to make waves throughout the healthcare industry -- especially in the area of employee health and wellness. To gain perspective, consider the dramatic changes that have occurred in how people communicate with each other over the past 15 to 20 years.
Remember the Pilot 1000? It debuted in 1996 with a retail price of $299 US. Holding five times as much data, the Pilot 5000 sold for $369. Both devices were designed to meet the personal information needs of the mobile professional. By 2000, business executives were trading pagers and personal device assistants for Blackberry devices which provided email access.
Today, 91 percent of the adult population owns some kind of cell phone. Technology has bridged the gap between personal use and corporate use as mobile devices are becoming cheaper and more powerful, with networks increasing in bandwidth and expanding into rural areas worldwide. A majority of Americans -- 56 percent -- now own a smartphone. The average person checks Facebook 14 times each day, reads the news almost entirely online and spends, on average, two and a half hours every day on their smartphone. They comment on friends' posts while working out at the gym and browse for news while grocery shopping. What's more, data from the CDC's 2013 National Health Interview Survey indicates that 39 percent of American homes had only cell phones --with 16 percent using cell phones despite having landlines.
The question begs to be asked: Are we designing our population health management programs to serve the consumer in the year 2000 or today and beyond?
Looking at health care expenditure data, it's no surprise that the use of health and wellness programs is growing, as is the use of employee education aimed at better managing the effects of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Some very large employers are even hiring in-house physicians and nurses to provide primary and preventive care in the workplace.
Here, we will take a look at health expenditure data, along with changes in consumer behavior that are impacting the design and use of programs aimed at reducing employee illness and thereby reducing costs.
Chronic diseases -- such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis -- are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems in the U.S. Heart disease, cancer and stroke account for more than 50 percent of all deaths each year. More than a quarter of all Americans and two out of every three older Americans have multiple chronic conditions, and treatment for this population accounts for 66 percent of the country's health care budget.
In one study it was found that 109 million Americans suffered from one or more of the most common, chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, pulmonary conditions, mental disorders, stroke or hypertension. The study estimated one year's cost of treatment of these conditions at $277 billion, but estimated lost economic productivity to be vastly higher at $1 trillion. In other words, lost work and lost output due to these illnesses reduced the nation's GDP by about 10 percent. These burdens could be vastly reduced through better consumer health practices and better preventive medicine. For example, obesity, lack of exercise and cigarette smoking are immense contributors to these diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that medical costs for obesity-related diseases rose as high as $147 billion in 2008, compared to $74 billion in 1998.
One of the most important aspects of preventive health care is to instill healthy health habits by engaging with consumers in a way that resonates with today's busy lifestyles and communication preferences. Member engagement initiatives can address preventive health education integrating emails, texts and online content -- with mobile applications helping to track weight loss, fitness activity, proper nutrition and more.
For members who are experiencing one or more chronic disorders, disease management supported by experienced health professionals is preferred. In a recent study, 70 percent of U.S. Adults reported they'd received information, care or support from a doctor or other health care provider; 60 percent turned to friends and family; 24 percent turned to others who have the same condition.
Matt Whalen is the director of product management at McKesson Care Management.