by
LAS
The
City of Cincinnati partnered with Kroger and Anthem Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Ohio to run a pilot program for 600 employees and retirees.
The programs offer “health coaches” in Heart Healthy Coaching and
Diabetes Coaching for some amazing results.
The
enrollees were compared to a control group and saw statistically
significant results. Enrollees were better at adhering to
medications, and blood pressure dropped 4 percent. Kroger's clinical
development manager stated that just a 2 percent drop in BP can mean
a 10 percent drop in stroke deaths.
Emergency
room visits dropped 40 percent with the group in the Heart Health
program, compared to the general population. Participants in the
Diabetes Coaching program saw an astonishing 90 percent drop in
cardiovascular-related ER visits.
Those
who did not participate in the program saw total cardiovascular
medical costs triple, compared to a drop of 11 percent for the
enrollees.
A
carrot was held out to participants in the form of deep discounts on
their medications as long as they were active in the coaching
program. Co-pays were waived.
The
first visit with a coach typically lasted an hour, when the patient
declared what their goals were, and the coach started to guide them
through the kinds of decisions they were making.
Many
times, an enrollee would meet with a dietician who would walk the
participant through the grocery aisle and help her decode food labels
so she could make smarter choices. Sometimes the pharmacist is the
coach for someone who has several medications or has questions or
concerns.
As
of 2012, Kroger was exploring whether it could expand the program to
other chronic conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. Kroger rolled out the program to all 17 of its
Cincinnati-area stores. Meantime, the City of Cincinnati is looking
for other claims and pharmacy data that could show whether the
program is succeeding or not, and by how much.
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