Making the Case for Patient Engagement
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As a population health and disease management company, we're building a new treatment paradigm based on evidence.
It's time to start engaging your bariatric patients.
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Only 1% of the clinically eligible population receives surgical treatment for obesity (1)
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80% of the individuals who lose weight will gradually regain it (5)
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Permanent lifestyle & behavior changes, after treatment, are necessary for long-term weight loss maintenance (5)
Evidence shows that engagement is a critical, long-term success factor throughout the entire bariatric patient journey — before, during, and after treatment. Many metabolic and bariatric surgery programs, as well as obesity medicine programs, miss the opportunity to activate patients because they aren’t optimized for patient engagement, even though pro-active and coordinated interventions can enhance the patient experience and improve the quality of long-term care.
Engagement is a critical, long-term success factor throughout the patient journey.
Engaged patients are:
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More likely to get to surgery (2)
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Tend to lose more weight (3)
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More likely to keep the weight off (6)
“Disease management, a system of coordinated health care interventions and communications for chronically ill populations, relies on patient education and case management to engage individuals in the management of their condition.”(4)
A patient engagement program can:
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Improve care and enhance the patient experience (8)
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Increase the frequency of engagement, which is associated with greater weight loss (3)
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Use text messaging to strengthen adherence rates, increase confidence, motivation, and awareness about health management (9)
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Leverage a number of virtual communication channels so that patients remain engaged without a visit to the provider (7)
“After a patient has achieved the targeted weight loss, the combined modalities of therapy (dietary therapy, physical activity, and behavior therapy) must be continued indefinitely; otherwise, excess weight will likely be regained. Numerous strategies are available for motivating the patient; all of these require that the practitioner continue to communicate frequently with the patient. Long-term monitoring and encouragement can be accomplished in several ways: by regular clinic visits, at group meetings, or via telephone or e-mail. The longer the weight maintenance phase can be sustained, the better prospects for long-term success in weight reduction.” (7)
The opportunity to activate bariatric patients is often missed. Patients have the skill, ability, and willingness to manage their own healthcare but are often left un-engaged and un-empowered to do so.
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Many programs don't have the information technology to enable tracking and navigating patients through unique and complex treatment pathways. Lacking advanced call center capabilities to provide patient education, motivational support, and time-intensive case management, bariatric case managers simply aren't equipped to deliver successful, long-term follow-up care.
Obesity PPM activates patients through engagement.
Many bariatric and obesity medicine programs aren't optimized for engagement.
Obesity is a chronic disease, and a patient's weight loss journey is lifelong. By consistently and pro-actively reaching out to this population through individualized care plans and high-touch communications, we are motivating, educating, and empowering patients to manage their own long-term health. We activate patients.
References:
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American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, The Obesity Society, and American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Perioperative Nutritional, Metabolic, and Nonsurgical Support of the Bariatric Surgery Patient. March 2013. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142593/
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Hovlid E, Bukve O, Haug K, et al. A new pathway for elective surgery to reduce cancellation rates. BMC Health Serv Res. 2012 Jun 11;12:154. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22686475
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Hildebrandt SE. Effects of participation in bariatric support group after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Obesity Surgery. 1998 Oct;8(5):535-42. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9819086
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Sidorov JE, Fitzner K. Obesity disease management opportunities and barriers. Obesity. 2006 Apr;14(4):645-9. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16741265
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National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Practical Guide: Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. October 2000, 24. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/guidelines/prctgd_c.pdf
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National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Practical Guide: Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. October 2000. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/guidelines/prctgd_c.pdf
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National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Practical Guide: Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. October 2000, 33. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/guidelines/prctgd_c.pdf
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Hong CS, Abrams MK, Ferris TG. Toward Increased Adoption of Complex Care Management, N Engl J Med 2014; 371:491-493. August 7, 2014. Available at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMp1401755
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A Small Share of Enrollees Consistently Accounted for a Large Share of Expenditures GAO-15-460: Published: May 8, 2015. Publicly Released: May 8, 2015. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-460