Not provided
| ID | Type | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5P01AG005842-27 | U.S. NIH Grant/Contract | View source |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| National Institute on Aging (NIA) | NIH |
| National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. | OTHER |
| Harvard Pilgrim Health Care | OTHER |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
This project aims to assess the impact of a web-based health care cost and quality tool that is being implemented by a health plan for its members. The study will focus on members working for medium to large employers that have more than 90% of employees enrolled in deductible and tiered network health plans. The study will use an interrupted time series (ITS) design that includes random allocation of half of these employers to a study arm that will receive enhanced promotion of the tool and a $500 lottery incentive for its use in order to increase take-up. With these two study groups (a "high-dose" group receiving enhanced promotion and a lottery, and a "low-dose" group receiving routine promotion of the tool), the study will be able to evaluate whether access to a price transparency tool leads to reduced costs and more value-driven member behavior, and whether extra promotion increases take-up.
Members in the high-dose group who use the tool will be eligible to enter a monthly lottery to win a $500 prize during the 12-month intervention period. In addition to the lottery, employers in the high-dose group will receive additional promotional strategies such as a mailing and messages through the plan's member web portal to promote the tool and the lottery, and e-mails and flyers for employers to promote the tool and lottery to employees.
The aims of this project are to: 1) examine take-up of the tool and factors that predict take-up; and 2) to examine the impact of the tool on total and out-of-pocket health care costs and utilization
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| lottery and enhanced promotion of tool | Experimental | tool users in the intervention arm will be eligible to enter a monthly lottery to win one of two monthly drawings of a $500 gift card, and will receive enhanced promotion of the tool (mailed promotion, promotional message on the member web portal, and promotion through employers to employees) |
|
| usual promotion of the tool | No Intervention | Routine promotion of the tool through newsletter and on health plan web site |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lottery for tool users to win a $500 prize | Other | Intervention group is eligible to enter a monthly lottery to win a $500 gift card if they use the tool each month. |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| mean per-member-per-month total health care costs | employer level per-member-per-month total costs based on claims data | monthly for 12 months |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| percent of subjects using the tool | Based on tool usage tracking data | measured quarterly for 12 months |
| mean per-member-per-month out-of-pocket costs | employer level per-member-per-month out-of-pocket costs based on claims data |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| reasons for using the tool | based on survey report | measured with each use of the tool, over 12 months |
Inclusion Criteria:
Health plan members from employers with at least 40 subscribers, of which at least 90% are currently in deductible plans or tiered network plans, and of which at least 80% were in deductible or tiered network plans in the prior year
Exclusion Criteria:
Members in non-group accounts and members in Medicare plans; members in states outside Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Maine
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Alison Galbraith, MD, MPH | Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical Schooll | Study Director |
| Jonathan Gruber, PhD | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard Pilgrim Health Care | Wellesley | Massachusetts | 02481 | United States |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| OTHER |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| enhanced promotion of the tool to employers and members | Other | Intervention group also receives extra promotion of the tool through mailings, employer outreach, and automated phone calls |
|
| monthly for 12 months |
| per-member-per-month utilization of health care services | Employer-level utilization of health services based on claims data, including emergency department visits, encounters, lab services, radiology services, inpatient hospitalizations, MRIs, prescriptions | monthly for 12 months |