Six Sigma Principles Drive Healthcare Behavior Change -- Using Medication Compliance To Improve Healthcare Outcomes

Main Category: Compliance
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 20 Aug 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Highlights of a project that demonstrates how employee compliance in taking medication for conditions such as hypertension and diabetes benefits both employee and employer will be presented by Todd Prewitt, M.D., SHPS' director of clinical operations/medical director, and Jill D. Olds, director of global benefit strategy for Cummins Inc. at Harvard University's Quality Colloquium, August 18-21, 2008. "Applying Six Sigma Principles to Drive Healthcare Behavior Change: Using Medication Compliance to Improve Healthcare Outcomes" reflects a partnership between SHPS, a leading provider of health advocacy and health benefits solutions, and Cummins, a Columbus, Ind.-based company that designs and builds diesel engines and related components.

"This ongoing project demonstrates the value of a healthcare provider working with a company to drive behavior change that leads to a healthier employee and lowers cost by utilizing DMAIC Six Sigma methodology," says Prewitt. "We will share details of this approach as well as the result of the project to date."

DMAIC, the acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control, is a basic component of the Six Sigma methodology - a way to improve work processes by eliminating defects.

Cummins, a global company with approximately 40,000 employees (17,000 in the United States), initiated the partnership with SHPS in January 1, 2007, based upon Cummins' need to reduce short- and long-term risk to the business and its employees. Currently, Cummins' risk profile is somewhat higher than SHPS' client norms, and reducing this score is expected to generate annualized gross savings.

Prewitt adds, "SHPS is honored to partner with Cummins for the 2008 Harvard Colloquium and to work collaboratively with Cummins to improve the quality of care provided to our target population."

Prewitt and Olds will discuss their findings, which have been confirmed by healthcare analytics and survey results. They include:

- Statistically significant improvement in compliance for population supported through one or more programs
- No statistically significant difference in plan selection
- No statistically significant difference due to cost of drugs to participant
- No statistically significant difference due to side effects
- Possibility of cause of non-prescribing by doctors

"Based upon our findings, the partnership anticipates increased awareness of the medication protocol and the benefit of medication compliance to both individuals as well as physicians," Prewitt adds. "Specifically, we have found the means to improve Cummins' wellness programs with initiatives that lead individuals to healthier lifestyles and prevent the migration to higher, more expensive ends of the healthcare spectrum."

About SHPS

SHPS is a leading, independent provider of integrated health solutions that improve personal health and reduce spending. By integrating traditional health management and benefits administration services, SHPS delivers people-centric solutions that empower individuals to make wise healthcare choices. It serves large and mid-sized employers, government agencies, and third-party administrators through the company's Carewise® Health, Landacorp, and SHPS brands.

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