Randomized Control Trial Finds Sense Health's Mobile Care Management Platform Can Boost Patient Adherence

NEW YORK, July 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sense Health, a New York City-based healthcare company focused on supporting underserved patients through mobile technology, has announced results from a randomized control trial that focused on engaging a high-cost Medicaid population. The study utilized Sense Health's mobile care management platform that creates, delivers, and monitors interactive text message-based support plans to improve patient adherence to medications, doctor appointments and care plans.

The clinical trial was conducted with Montefiore Medical Center's University Behavioral Associates (UBA) and supported by a $100,000 Pilot Health Tech NYC grant, which encourages development of new technologies to address pressing healthcare industry needs. After a two month test period with 67 patients and 15 care managers involved in Montefiore Medical Center's Medicaid Health Home, Sense Health found a significant improvement in a number of key patient engagement metrics, including: self-reported patient adherence to appointments (40% increase), medications (12% increase) and care plan goals (7% increase).

"Our goal was to understand whether mobile technology would help our care managers provide more consistent and efficient support and quality care for our Medicaid patients," said Donald A. Bux, Ph.D., director, Behavioral Healthcare Management, University Behavioral Associates. "At first we were concerned that mobile technology might feel impersonal and lead to a disconnect, but we were pleasantly surprised by how well received the program was by our patients and care managers. Not only did clients using Sense Health report more engagement in their care plans, but patients and their care managers also reported greater ease in connecting with each other."

In addition to focusing on adherence to appointments, medications and care plans, the study also focused on measuring improvements in some of the key health determinants that dictate how effectively someone manages their own health, like knowledge, motivation and ability. The clinical trial found patients receiving care management support with Sense Health technology were 21% more motivated, 26% more confident, and 22% more knowledgeable about the lifestyle changes recommended for their health, compared to patients simply receiving care management services without the intervention.

"Prior to helping people take their medications more consistently or attend their appointments more frequently, it's critical to ensure they feel sufficiently motivated, knowledgeable and confident to actually take all of the necessary actions to improve their health," said Dr. Fred Muench of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Sense Health advisor. "Technologies like Sense Health that combine tailored health interventions with the support and accountability of care managers take us one step closer to impacting the complex behavioral side of encouraging people to better manage their health."

Following the clinical trial, Sense Health is focused on reaching larger patient populations with its mobile care management platform through partnerships with Medicaid Managed Care Organizations.

"In the patient engagement arena, quantifying engagement in a meaningful way is a challenge in and of itself," says Stan Berkow, co-founder and CEO of Sense Health. "We're thrilled not only to have quantified key patient engagement outcomes, but to have demonstrated significant improvements in those critical areas with our platform."

About Sense Health 
Sense Health is a New York City based healthcare company that helps providers create, deliver, and manage therapeutic conversations that help patients prevent and manage chronic health problems. The Sense Health platform contains expert created health content and proprietary algorithms that tailor patient support around the current activation of patients; helping healthcare organizations efficiently manage the health of patient populations through behaviorally driven health support. Sense Health is currently focused on partnering with care management groups responsible for supporting Medicaid beneficiaries.

Contact: Brad Hammonds, [email protected] 
For More Information visit: http://www.sensehealth.com

SOURCE Sense Health