Impact of incentive driven medical home approach on use of preventive services use among healthcare system employees: A case study

Abstract

Objective: To describe the initial outcomes of an incentive driven medical home and navigation program on preventive services among healthcare system employees.
Methods: Quasi-experimental design examining participation, use of preventive services and adherence to medical guidelines and emergency room use in a five hospital integrated health system. Employees were required to complete a health risk assessment (HRA), visit a Primary Care Provider (PCP) and submit PCP visit screening and biometric results in order to be eligible for the financial incentives. Subsidized lifestyle change intervention and navigation programs were also offered to participants. Descriptive statistics and Chi Square were used to analyze results for the 5,435 employee participants and 3,623 non-participants during thee 1-year intervention.
Results: Preventive care visits for participants increased by 35% compared to an increase of 3% for non-participants. Nonadherence to medical guidelines decreased 7% for participants and increased 18% for non-participants. Inappropriate emergency room use overall decreased from 20% to 14%.
Conclusions: One year after introduction of the wellness program, preventive visits increased, compliance with medical care increased and inappropriate emergency room visits were reduced.