Outreach for Check-up

Age: 65+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Northwestern University

Disqualifiers: Palliative care, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine how outreach can help patients stay on track with their Medicare Annual Wellness Visits. At two clinics, some patients will receive a letter and a call encouraging them to schedule these visits early, while others will receive the same outreach after six months. It is ideal for patients with Medicare insurance who haven't had an Annual Wellness Visit recently and have certain risk factors, such as not using online scheduling or having social needs. As an unphased trial, this study offers patients the opportunity to contribute to improving healthcare outreach strategies.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on outreach for wellness visits rather than medication changes.

What prior data suggests that this outreach intervention is safe?

Research has shown that programs encouraging people to complete their Annual Wellness Visits are generally safe. For example, one study found that calling patients to remind them about their visits helped fill care gaps without causing harm. Another study emphasized that focusing on education and communication during these visits is safe and non-invasive.

Since this trial uses outreach methods like mailed letters and phone calls, it poses no physical risks. These methods safely remind and motivate people to take care of their health. Similar outreach efforts have reported no negative effects.

In short, participating in this trial is very low-risk, as it involves simple communication to help improve health check-up rates. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the "Outreach for Check-up" approach because it aims to boost the completion rates of Annual Wellness Visits through targeted communication efforts. This method stands out by proactively engaging patients with both mailed letters and phone calls from health navigators, who also screen for social determinants of health and provide resources if needed. Unlike standard practices, which often rely on patients to schedule their own visits, this outreach strategy takes a more active role in ensuring patients receive essential preventive care, potentially improving overall health outcomes. Additionally, exploring both early and delayed outreach allows researchers to identify the most effective timing for these interventions.

What evidence suggests that this outreach intervention is effective for increasing Annual Wellness Visit completion?

Research has shown that reaching out to patients can significantly increase the number of Annual Wellness Visits (AWVs) they complete. In this trial, participants will join either an early outreach arm or a delayed outreach arm. One study found that when healthcare teams collaborate to promote these visits, more patients attend them promptly. Another source highlights effective methods for enhancing AWV programs, such as educating patients about the visits and training healthcare staff. These visits are crucial because they keep patients engaged with their health and can reduce healthcare costs. By focusing on outreach, clinics can encourage more patients to participate in these valuable wellness check-ups. ^{1 2 3 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for patients with Medicare insurance who are eligible to receive their Annual Wellness Visit. It focuses on reducing disparities in check-up rates among different racial and ethnic groups. Clinicians and their associated patients at two clinics will be randomly chosen to participate.

Inclusion Criteria

Attributed primary care clinic is 1 of the participating clinics in the pilot trial

≥1 risk factor associated with being overdue for Medicare Annual Wellness Visits: Black/African American race or Latino/Hispanic ethnicity, Not up-to-date for social needs screening, Positive social need in past 18 months, Medicaid insurance, No use of scheduling features within patient portal in past 18 months

Preferred language English

Exclusion Criteria

Clinician feels outreach for preventive care is inappropriate

I am receiving care focused on relieving symptoms.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Early Outreach Intervention

Patients receive mailed letter and telephone outreach encouraging them to schedule an Annual Wellness Visit with a primary care clinician. Social determinants of health screening and resource provision if applicable will be included in telephone outreach by health navigator.

6 months

Delayed Outreach Intervention

Patients receive no outreach for 6 months after study start and then receive the same outreach intervention as early outreach arm.

6 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for the impact of the outreach intervention on Medicare Annual Wellness Visit completion

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Outreach to encourage Annual Wellness Visit completion

Trial Overview The study is testing the effectiveness of a primary care outreach program designed to increase the number of Medicare-insured patients completing their Annual Wellness Visits. Clinicians, along with their eligible patients, will be divided into two groups: one receiving early outreach and another receiving delayed outreach.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Early outreach Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Patients assigned to early outreach will receive mailed letter and telephone outreach encouraging them to schedule an Annual Wellness Visit with a primary care clinician. Social determinants of health screening and resource provision if applicable will be included in telephone outreach by health navigator.

Group II: Delayed outreach Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Patients assigned to delayed outreach will receive no outreach for 6 months after study start and then will receive the same outreach intervention as early outreach arm.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Northwestern University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,674

Recruited

989,000+

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Collaborator

Trials

1,841

Recruited

28,150,000+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11067673/

Team-Based Approach to Successful Annual Wellness Visits The purpose of this study was to implement a 2-phase approach to rapidly increase the number of annual wellness visits (AWVs) and build a sustainable model.

2. thoroughcare.net thoroughcare.net/blog/case-studies-highlight-best-practices-annual-wellness-visits

Case Studies Highlight Best Practices for Annual Wellness ... The following four case studies highlight quality improvement projects that yielded best practices for any Annual Wellness Visit program.

3. arcadia.io arcadia.io/resources/keys-to-increasing-annual-wellness-visits

How Accountable Care Organizations can increase Annual ... Boost your AWV results with these “accelerators” · Educate your patients. · Get patient data beforehand. · Train your PCPs and staff.

4. koanhealth.com koanhealth.com/post/annual-wellness-visits-are-a-critical-value-based-care-strategy

Annual Wellness Visits: Key to Value-Based Care Success Discover how Annual Wellness Visits (AWVs) enhance value-based care by improving patient engagement, reducing costs, and boosting quality ...

5. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772501424000149

Identifying barriers to implementation of the medicare ... The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is designed to increase focus on evidence-based health promotion specific to aging individuals.

6. cipherhealth.com cipherhealth.com/blog/using-automated-preventive-outreach-to-close-care-gaps-and-reengage-patients-in-their-care/

Using Automated Preventive Outreach to Close Care Gaps ... This data analysis measured the impact of consistent telephonic engagement in encouraging patients to close care gaps and schedule their annual wellness visit.

7. ama-assn.org ama-assn.org/practice-management/sustainability/how-streamline-workflow-medicare-annual-wellness-visit

How to streamline workflow for a Medicare annual ... The online tool helps physicians understand the AWV, communicate with patients to set expectations about the visit and map out an AWV workflow.