The phone-based approach, called care management, is usually limited to patients who have trouble managing chronic conditions or face an important treatment decision, such as surgery. But the study found the approach could yield extra savings by also reaching out to people who are “chaotic users” of healthcare, such as people who rely on the ED for care.
The average monthly medical and pharmacy costs per person in the wider group of targeted patients were 3.6 percent, or $7.96, lower than those in the usual-support group.
Read the New England Journal of Medicine study on patient outreach.
Read the Wall Street Journal Health Blog report on the patient outreach.
Read more coverage on patient outreach:
– 10 Tips to Creating a Physician-Led Integrated Care System With Advocate Health’s Mark Shields
– Cincinnati Practices, Insurers to Collaborate on Medical Home
