The document discusses key challenges and opportunities in healthcare over the coming decades:
1) The number of Americans enrolling in Medicare is projected to increase dramatically to over 83 million by 2050 as the population ages. Already, 10,000 new Americans turn 65 every day and most have at least one chronic condition.
2) Treating behavioral health issues, preventing chronic diseases, reducing unnecessary services, and improving at-home care could each save about 30% of total healthcare costs per person, or over $3 trillion in total. Some specialty drug treatments already cost over $600,000 per year.
3) Building comprehensive health strategies requires incorporating social factors, challenges, opportunities, and the right technologies to connect members
3. $3 Trillion per person
2
60%
by treating
unmanaged
behavioral
health
34%
by preventing
chronic diseases
14%
by reducing
unnecessary
services
30%
by providing
better at home
health
>$600k a year of treatment for some specialty drugs
5. High Tech + High Touch
incorporates social
factors
identifies challenges
and opportunities
incorporates the right
technology
4
Building a comprehensive health care strategy
6. diabetes
4x Higher
health care costs for
diabetes and depression
versus a person with just diabetesdepression
6x Greater
health care costs
cancerdepression
4x More
likely to be rehospitalized within
a year of discharge for
isolated seniorsseniorsisolation
5
8. <1 hour
of face time a year
7
8,760 hrs
in a year
8,759 hrs
left
9. Congestive Heart Failure
Weight Monitoring Program
(CHF)
Predictive Modeling to
Prevent Falls
Using Digital Technology to Connect with
Patients
8
Virtual Diabetes
Prevention Program
Omada Health
10. Measuring progress with Healthy Days
Total
unhealthy days
physically
unhealthy days
mentally
unhealthy days
9
In the last 30 days, how
many days have you
physically not been well?
1
In the last 30 days, how
many days have you
mentally not been well?
2
11. 52
inpatient
admissions per
1,000
patients
.28
day increase in
average length
of stay
$93
increase in
annual member
out-of-pocket
expense
$82
increase in per
member per
month medical
and prescription
cost
for every 5-day increase in unhealthy days
10
The Case for Healthy Days
12. The Case for Healthy Days
1 unhealthy day
a month is associated with a
$15.64
Per Member Per Month in
monthly medical costs
+3 million
Medicare members
+300 million?
11
People like George are suffering. George has a lot of barriers to good health. He’s on a fixed income, has diabetes and depression. He lives alone, isolated from his family and he’s food insecure. He’s a high risk patient. George is our future.
Click - By 2050, the population that is 65 and older is going to double to over 83 Million
Click - 10,000 new people are enrolling in Medicare each day…
Click - And three in four Americans aged 65 and older has one or more chronic condition
This is happening in a system that’s already unsustainable.
Today, we have the ability to gather more data about human health than ever before. Yet, we still struggle to improve population health. Our system is expensive and deeply fragmented.
We spend almost 3 trillion dollars on health care in the U.S. ($10,000/person) but we could to reduce that…
One Click for all -
By up to 34% by preventing chronic diseases.
By 14% by eliminating unnecessary services such as repeated tests.
By 30% by providing better at-home health.
And by 60% by treating unmanaged behavioral health.
We also know that specialty drugs are expensive. Sometimes cost over $600K a year for treatment. We can reduce that too.
I know that there are people in this room working to create better technology to integrate data to help eliminate some of this fragmentation, but ultimately, to improve health, it is going to require more than just connecting data and systems.
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We have to connect to people, physicians and communities as well – building relationships and working together to improve health.
By combining high tech with high touch - we can better help people like George. It requires building a comprehensive population health care strategy that -
Incorporates social factors-
Identifies challenges and opportunities-
And incorporates the right technology to facilitate better care and quicker access.
We can no longer treat mental health and physical health separately, or forget about what is happening outside of the clinical setting, because health is holistic.
This is what we have learned at Humana -
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People who have diabetes AND depression have 4 times higher health care costs than a person with diabetes alone.
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A person with cancer and depression has 6 times greater health care costs.
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And a senior who is lonely or socially isolated, a key social determinant of health, is 4 times more likely to be rehospitalized within a year of discharge
These factors contributed to us rethinking the way we do business -
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We’ve changed the way we work with our Humana members, physicians and with our communities -
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by using cutting edge digital technology, sharing data and building relationships.
On average a patient visits their doctor maybe 2 to 3 times in a year, which equates to less than an hour of face to face time.
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What happens with the other 8,759 hours that patient isn’t seeking care?
We developed pilots by using digital technology to better support members where they are – and we share that data with physicians.
For instance - Humana piloted a Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Weight Monitoring Program that provides patients with a cellular weight scale that transmits their weight to their physician’s office. The goal is to prevent hospital admissions as weight gain for this population is a leading indicator of a potential hospital admission.
Through predictive modeling we are developing better ways to identify risks in older adults, like the risk of falling. And we are giving that data to physicians so that they can better care for their patient who might be at risk.
And we are testing digital capabilities with our older adult population through a virtual diabetes prevention program with Omada Health.
We’re measuring progress through the CDC survey tool, Healthy Days, which measures both mental and physical health of an individual over a 30 day period. We ask members two questions: in the last 30 days, how many days have you physically not been well and In the last 30 days, how many days have you mentally not been well? Again, taking into account the whole person.
Healthy Days is a population health measurement that provides a cost savings opportunity. In fact, a literature review conducted by Humana, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CDC, and Columbia University – validated that Healthy Days is a simple yet effective survey tool to measure a person’s perception of their own health. Using claims data, we found that the number of unhealthy days a person has directly correlates with more hospital stays, higher healthcare utilization and higher costs of care.
For instance…
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For every 5-day increase in unhealthy days in fact, there is:
An increase of 52 inpatient admissions per 1000 patients-
0.28 day increase in average length of stay -
$93 increase in annual member out-of-pocket expense -
$82 increase in per member per month medical and prescription cost.
An increase of one unhealthy day a month is associated with a $15.64 Per Member Per Month savings in monthly medical expenses –
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imagine if we could help improve just one unhealthy day of each of our 3 million plus Medicare members?
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Or how about the entire U.S. population (300+ million)?
Using a high tech, high touch approach is multifaceted, but at the end of the day it’s about data and connecting systems as much as it is about building relationships, sharing, and learning with people, physicians and communities. Working together is the only way we are going to help improve population health, reduce medical costs and make sure people like George are getting the care they need.