Mobile phone diabetes project led to improved glycemic control and net savings for Chicago plan participants.
Even with the best health care available, patients with chronic illnesses typically spend no more than a few hours a year in a health care setting, while their outcomes are largely determined by their activities during the remaining 5,000 waking hours of the year. As a widely available, low-cost technology, mobile phones are a promising tool to use in engaging patients in behavior change and facilitating self-care between visits. We examined the impact of a six-month mobile health (mHealth) demonstration project among adults with diabetes who belonged to an academic medical center's employee health plan. In addition to pre-post improvements in glycemic control (p=0.01) and patients' satisfaction with overall care (p=0.04), we observed a net cost savings of 8.8 percent. Those early results suggest that mHealth programs can support health care organizations' pursuit of the triple aim of improving patients' experiences with care, improving population health, and reducing the per capita cost of health care
Shantanu
S
Nundy
Jonathan J
JJ
Dick
Chia-Hung
CH
Chou
Robert S
RS
Nocon
Marshall H
MH
Chin
Monica E
ME
Peek
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002641:Chicago; D017046:Cost Savings; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015397:Program Evaluation; D058996:Quality Improvement; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D001786:Blood Glucose
Chronic Care; Information Technology; Organization and Delivery of Care; Primary Care; Research And Technology