Multi-Year Study Recommends Using Patient Activation Measure® Scores to Identify Patients with Greater Likelihood for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Hospitalization and Emergency Department Use
Healthcare organizations can improve outcomes and prevent unnecessary costs by stratifying populations to better support patients low in activation
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Results from a new study sponsored by The Commonwealth Fund and published in Health Services Research show how Insignia Health's Patient Activation Measure® (PAM®) predicts which patients are more likely to utilize expensive and avoidable hospitalization and emergency department visits, and which patients are more likely to develop a chronic condition within the next year.
PAM scores on over 98,000 patients at Fairview Medical Services in Minnesota reveal that those with the lowest activation were 56% more likely to have an avoidable ambulatory care sensitive hospitalization and 25% more likely to develop a new chronic disease within a year compared to patients with high activation. Similar distinctions between low and high activated patients hold true three years later.
"These results speak directly to the two key challenges that ACO's face: how to reduce unnecessary and costly utilization and how to slow the progression of illness in populations. The PAM score is an essential element to addressing both of these challenges," said Dr. Judith Hibbard, lead researcher on the study. "It confirms what we've seen in many other studies: that PAM scores provide health care organizations a new tool to predict, target interventions, and effectively intervene to reduce risk and high-cost utilization," she added.
PAM is a 10- or 13-item assessment that provides insight to an individual´s knowledge, skills and confidence for managing their health and health care. PAM is scored on a 0-100 scale which reveals four levels of activation from low (Level 1) to high (Level 4). This NQF-endorsed measure has been validated across a wide array of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics in dozens of countries. Low-activated individuals (PAM levels 1 and 2) are at significantly greater risk for poor health outcomes and higher utilization than those higher in activation (PAM levels 3 and 4).
"This study and previous research continue to demonstrate the value of using PAM to better identify prospective risk and to align resources towards patients lower in activation," said Chris Delaney, CEO of Insignia Health. "Understanding patient activation as a key vital sign can guide efforts to achieve performance measures and to utilize resources more effectively" he added.
About Insignia Health: Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Insignia Health specializes in helping hospitals and health systems, health plans, life science firms and other health organizations improve health outcomes and lower health care costs through gains in patient self-management. Insignia's scientifically-based programs and services, anchored by the NQF-endorsed Patient Activation Measure®, help individuals become more successful managers of their health and healthcare. The Patient Activation Measure® (PAM®), the e-Health platform Flourish® for consumers, and Coaching for Activation®, in tandem with more than a decade of health activation research, form the cornerstone of Insignia Health solutions. A leader in health activation, we strive to elevate individual activation levels to lessen disease and illness burden and premature deaths around the world. www.insigniahealth.com
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SOURCE Insignia Health
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