Encouraging Overdue Healthcare Appointment Scheduling Among Patients With Chronic Diseases

Geisinger Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Prevention; Health Promotion; Risk Reduction Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: Humor/Salience; Behavioral: Outreach mailer; Behavioral: Doctor's authority; Behavioral: Information

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05000619

2021-0442

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this study is to determine the most effective messages for encouraging patients with chronic conditions, who have not seen their doctor in at least one year, to return to the clinic. Study participants will receive postcards or letters encouraging them to make an appointment. Researchers will assess whether messages increase appointment scheduling (and attendance).

Full description

About 18,500 Geisinger patients, Geisinger Health Plan members, and Medicaid patients with chronic illness have not been seen in a clinic for at least one year, which is concerning because regular appointments are necessary for chronic disease management. Geisinger is therefore working to encourage those with chronic illness and overdue appointments to return to the clinic.

In the present study, patients will either receive a mailer (with a message encouraging them to schedule an appointment with their physician), or no mailer. The purpose of the study is to compare three different mailers to assess which is most effective at encouraging patients to schedule and attend an appointment. The three mailers include (1) a standard outreach postcard (emphasizing that we are "checking in" with the patient), and, informed by behavioral science research, (2) a postcard with a cartoon and humorous messages and (3) a letter signed by a physician. The study will compare the effectiveness of the three experimental mailer arms to each other and to a no-contact control arm.

Enrollment: 21,562 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Geisinger patient, Geisinger Health Plan member or Medicaid patient
• Chronic illness
• No appointment for > 1 year

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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21,562 participants in 4 patient groups

Outreach Postcard

Experimental group

Description:

This group receives a postcard with a stock image on the front and a message encouraging regular visits to manage health on the back.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Outreach mailer

Humorous Postcard

Experimental group

Description:

This group receives a postcard with with a cartoon image and a visit-related joke on the front and a humorous message on the back, with additional information about why visits are important, and what to expect at the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Information

Behavioral: Outreach mailer

Behavioral: Humor/Salience

Physician Letter

Experimental group

Description:

This group receives a personalized letter signed by a physician with information about why visits are important, and what to expect at the appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Doctor's authority

Behavioral: Information

Behavioral: Outreach mailer

No-contact Control

No Intervention group

Description:

This group will not receive a study mailer during the trial.