Evaluation of Emails Promoting Mail-order Pharmacy

Evaluation of an Email Intervention Promoting Enrollment in Mail-order Pharmacy

In this evaluation, four versions of emails will be sent to eligible health plan members who are not currently enrolled in the health system's mail-order pharmacy. A control group will not receive any communication. The researchers hypothesize that the use of content informed by behavioral nudge theory in the emails should lead to increased enrollment in the health system's mail-order pharmacy.

The utilization of a mail-order pharmacy can increase adherence to medications. The health system's mail-order pharmacy (from here, simply referred to as mail-order pharmacy) can also provide reduced costs for medications. Ongoing outreach efforts involve sending emails and other communications encouraging enrollment in Geisinger's mail-order pharmacy to eligible members of the system's health plan (i.e., those who take maintenance medications). The study will compare a standard promotional email from these outreach efforts, as well as three new emails with content informed by behavioral science research, against a no-contact control arm and each other.

Inclusion Criteria:

• An active member of the health plan (Medicare, Commercial, or Exchange)
• Currently prescribed maintenance medications
• Not currently subscribed to the health system's mail-order pharmacy
• Has an email on record

Exclusion Criteria:

• Explicitly opted out of receiving emails from the health system
• Only has eligible current prescriptions for fewer than 28 days
• Only has prescriptions that cannot be sent via mail-order pharmacy (e.g., antidepressants, specialty-tier drugs)
• Is a Medicare member in the coverage gap
• Shares an email address with another selected participant (who was randomly chosen for inclusion among all those sharing the same email address)