Waqas Masood

Why Proactive Patient Contact Management? CMB Solutions Inc. White Paper © CMB Solutions Inc. Page 1 Table of Contents Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 3 Patients' Non-adherence: The Numbers Get Alarming -------------------------------------- Page 4 Stumbling Blocks of Patient Adherence ------------------------------------------------Page 5 Catalysts for Patient Adherence ----------------------------------------------------------Page 6 Reactive vs. Proactive Patient Contact Management -----------------------------------------Page 7 Choosing Your Right Partner: Why CMB Solutions Inc.? -------------------------------------Page 8 © CMB Solutions Inc. Page 2 Introduction Quite in the recent years, "patient engagement" has surfaced as the latest healthcare buzzword as this term lacks concise and comprehensive conceptualization even after the substantive modernization in the industry. Since this concept itself is a herald of treatment outcomes and healthcare costs, this calls for patients' active role through their empowerment and proactive contact within chronic disease managementi. Despite of the repeated evidences emphasizing upon patient's literacy and involvement in clinical decision-making, efficiency of patient engagement systems in place is still a source of concern for many healthcare providersii. The reason is straight- the human resource deployed industry-wide to communicate effectively with patients is essentially insufficient. In today's modern world of "clicks and touches", the healthcare IT has broadened the scope of patient education and engagement through automated patient contact systems. After gaining the status of the "blockbuster drug of the century", the patient engagement paradigm became more interactive and integrated as the "Standard of Care"iii. While evaluating people's health engagement behavior, Altarum Institute's Consumer Engagement measure (ACE) found that the proactively engaged patients demonstrated higher compliance for therapeutics and developed significant knowledge about the cost of the treatmentiv. Subsequently, this more engaged behavior is likely to improve patient retention and collaboration between doctors and patients. The newest evidence has been brought forward by Altarum Institute Survey of Consumer Health Care Opinions, Spring 2014 that showed: "9 out of 10 US adults responded, they would like to share healthcare decision-making, thereby; 92% of the respondents wanted to be proactively engaged. This also includes those "1 in 4" who wanted to take complete charge of their healthcare decisions". After the enforcement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the patient engagement is imperative now. Today, the healthcare providers are paid after evaluation of their treatment outcomes and efficiency of care- the reimbursement criteria of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)v. Having said so, the digital patient contact systems have become the prerequisites of any cost-effective and efficient healthcare system. Not only it embraces humanistic perspective now but also has proved as a rich source of revenue and new business opportunities. © CMB Solutions Inc. Page 3 Patients' Non-adherence: The Numbers Get Alarming Today when the post-acute care is struggling hard to initiate communication with patients, the patients' non-adherence to prescription drugs and daily-use medical equipment has aggravated the healthcare challenges further. Every year, only non-adherence costs the US healthcare system $290 billion approximatelyvi. A national survey conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research in 2013 reveals: "Almost two-thirds of American adults are non-adherent to their prescription medications. This non -adherence implicates worsening of health problems particularly in chronic diseases. The same issue persists with non-adherence to daily-use medical equipment. However, the adherence rates for durable medical equipment (DME) vary". In the figure given below, 87% patients who adhere to their prescription medications felt "Excellent/Good" about their health in comparison to those 65% who could not adhere to their medications. Figure 1: Medical Adherence vs. Health Source: Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Public Opinion Strategies May 2013. © CMB Solutions Inc. Page 4 Stumbling Blocks of Patient Adherence With this inclining trend of non-adherence, the studies investigating the relationship between patient engagement and adherence shared common barriers to patient adherencevii. The top stumbling blocks of patient adherence, also reported in an informal survey of diabetics, includeviii: Time Manegement • Time constraints for daily activities- some may prefer to exercise or sleep rather to take medication. Scheduluing & Maintenance • For long-term treatments, daily discipline is required along with timely medication refills. • Equiment maintenance & replenishment followups are required for DME. Knowledge • A gap between patient and physicians may cause a lack of knowledge regarding treatment instructions. In that case, patients as well as caregivers are likely to misunderstand. Treatment Literacy • Patients are usually ill-informed about their treatment options. The same illetracy is observed when they commonly find it hard how to use and maintain durable medical equipment. Figure 2: Barriers to Patient Adherence The patients' apprehension to use X-ray, MRI or technology in place for their side effects can significantly drop the compliance ratio for medical equipments. These stumbling blocks of patient adherence contribute to negative treatment outcomes, repeated hospitalization and rising healthcare costs. © CMB Solutions Inc. Page 5 Catalysts for Patient Adherence The first and foremost catalyst for increasing patient adherence rates is to maximize the engagement among triads of the US healthcare system: Patients Physicians Medical Manufacturers (Drug/ Equipment) For this purpose, the medical manufacturers (drug/equipment) can partner with automated patient contact system providers to educate patients through effective communication with a strategy to address their barriers and fears to patient adherence. Second, the patients must be provided with sufficient knowledge and instructions by physicians, durable medical equipment suppliers and drug manufacturers about the treatment protocols, proper use of equipment and therapeutics of drugs. Third, a strategic partnership is required between medical companies and patient contact service providers which can offer customized solutions designed for revenue generation and patient compliance. Last, the growth of the adherence enhancement services market is encouraging. In 2011, this market was worth of $300 million. This may even rise to $1.2 billion during the next five years, as estimates suggest. The budget allocated for patient adherence has been raised up to 281% within the last four yearsix. © CMB Solutions Inc. Page 6 Reactive vs. Proactive Patient Contact Management Remaining reactive is still a major concern within the US healthcare industry. In order for us to understand how proactive approach is better than reactive approach, the following comparison should explain why to prefer proactive patient contact management: Reactive Patient Contact Management Proactive Patient Contact Management Negative treatment outcomes Positive treatment outcomes Higher costs Cost-efficient Limited human resource Multi-channel automated contact systems Alarming compliance rates Improving compliance Ineffective patient engagement Effective and efficient patient engagement Patients' minimal role in decision-making Patients share decision-making Lower revenue growth More revenue generation Low patient literacy High patient knowledge Burdened healthcare industry More robust industry with strategic partnerships Table 1: Reactive vs. Proactive Patient Contact Management © CMB Solutions Inc. Page 7 Choosing Your Right Partner: Why CMB Solutions Inc.? CMB Solutions Inc. designs custom solutions to enhance patient engagement for HME and DMEs. Durable Medical Equipment Suppliers that utilized our automated patient contact systems have received consistent, repeatable and demonstrable growth in revenue and compliance. We have developed our integration architecture with an emphasis on research analogous to Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). We tailor campaigns that best define your patients' engagement needs for HME/DME products. Our patient contact and compliance management services include: 1. Multimedia i) Email ii) IVR iii) Domestic live-call center iv) Texting v) Patient education deliverables 2. SaaS 3. Eligibility Verification 4. Payment Processing i) Patient Copays and Coinsurances ii) Patient Previous Balances iii) Payment Plans iv) Collections Why should you choose us? We are research-based, CMS and HIPAA compliant company. Our partners are: © CMB Solutions Inc. Page 8 We are also: a. Member of AAHomecare b. Member of Better Business Bureau Contact Information Contact us to learn more about CMB and to get started! 9425 North Meridian Street, Suite114 Indianapolis, IN- -). Website: http://www.cmbsolutionsinc.com/ © CMB Solutions Inc. Page 9 References 1 Serena Barello, Guendalina Graffigna, Elena Vegni & A. Claudio Basio. The challenges of conceptualizing patient engagement in health care: A Lexicographic literature review. Journal of Participatory Medicine 2014: 6. Accessed from http://www.jopm.org/evidence/reviews/2014/06/11/the-challenges-of-conceptualizing-patientengagement-in-health-care-a-lexicographic-literature-review/ 2 Health Policy Brief. Patient engagement. Health Affairs, February 14, 2013. 3 Dave Chase. Patient Engagement is the blockbuster drug of the century. Forbes, 2012. Accessed from http://www.forbes.com/sites/davechase/2012/09/09/patient-engagement-is-the-blockbuster-drug-of-thecentury/ 4 Sepucha KR, Fowler FJ. Measuring Decision Quality: Where We Stand Today. Informed Medical Decisions Foundation, March 2013. 5 Rose O. Sherman. The patient engagement imperative. Am Nurs Today, 2014. 9(2). Accessed from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/- Healthcare Business Today. Patient engagement even impacts medical equipment usage. October 3, 2014. Accessed from http://www.healthcarebusinesstoday.com/patient-engagement-even-impacts-medical-equipmentusage/ 7 Haskard Zolnierek KB & DiMatteo MR. Patient communication and patient adherence to treatment: A meta analysis. Medical Care, August 2009; 47(8)- Symbius Medical. An overview of patient adherence. Accessed from http://www.symbiusmedical.com/anoverview-of-patient-adherence/ 9 Same as 6 above. 10