Text-Message Reminders for Routine Check-ups

(HEDIS Trial)

Overseen By Sanjay Basu, MD, PhD

Age: < 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Waymark

Disqualifiers: Opted out of SMS, No valid phone, No contact request

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 tests how different reminder methods help children complete their Well-Child Visits (regular health check-ups). It compares traditional reminders to automated text messages (Automated SMS) and texts with additional scheduling assistance (Automated SMS + Scheduling Assistance). The goal is to determine which method most effectively encourages attendance at check-ups. Children aged 0-21 who haven't had a check-up in the past year and can receive texts are eligible. The study aims to enhance how healthcare providers remind families about important medical visits. As an unphased trial, it offers families an opportunity to contribute to improving healthcare communication strategies.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications. It seems unlikely, as the study focuses on text-message reminders for routine check-ups.

What prior data suggests that these outreach strategies are safe for children?

Previous studies have shown that text message reminders effectively increase appointment attendance. Research indicates that these reminders can improve attendance rates in children's clinics, offering a promising way to reduce missed appointments.

For automated text messages that also assist with scheduling, findings suggest this combination not only reminds families of their appointments but also simplifies scheduling. This two-part approach has successfully increased both the scheduling and attendance of children's check-ups.

Both methods—simple text reminders and those with added scheduling help—have shown no significant safety concerns. They involve sending messages, which people generally find acceptable. No reports of negative effects from receiving these text messages exist.

Overall, these outreach strategies are considered safe and can help ensure more children attend their important check-ups. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about using automated text-message reminders for routine check-ups because they offer a modern twist on appointment reminders. Unlike traditional reminders, these automated SMS messages are sent at strategic intervals to boost attendance. The addition of scheduling assistance takes it a step further by allowing patients to set appointments directly through their phones, making the process seamless and convenient. This approach not only aims to improve attendance rates for Well-Child Visits but also simplifies the scheduling process, potentially leading to better healthcare outcomes.

What evidence suggests that these outreach strategies are effective for improving Well-Child Visit completion rates?

Research has shown that text message reminders effectively help people attend Well-Child Visits. For example, one study found that text messages increased visit attendance from 46.6% to 84.6%. Another study demonstrated that electronic reminders, such as automated text messages, significantly improved attendance. In this trial, one group will receive Automated SMS messages, while another group will receive Automated SMS combined with Scheduling Assistance. When text messages were paired with scheduling help, they proved even more effective. This combined approach led to more appointments being made soon after the messages were sent. These findings suggest that using automated texts, especially with scheduling assistance, can successfully increase attendance at Well-Child Visits. ^{1 2 5 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for children aged 0-21 years who are due for a Well-Child Visit (WCV). It's designed to see if text messages or texts plus help with scheduling can make it more likely that kids go to their routine check-ups and address healthcare disparities.

Inclusion Criteria

Patients with a phone number in health plan eligibility file

Patients for whom the care team is authorized to conduct outreach per the patient's Medicaid health plan

I am 21 or younger and haven't had a check-up in the last year.

Exclusion Criteria

I chose not to receive text/SMS messages.

I cannot receive text messages due to not having a phone.

I have asked not to be contacted by my healthcare provider or health plan.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive outreach according to their group assignment: traditional passive outreach, automated SMS, or automated SMS with scheduling assistance.

6 months

Ongoing monitoring through SMS and appointment tracking

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for the effectiveness of outreach strategies in closing HEDIS gaps for Well-Child Visits.

6 months

Monthly data collection

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Automated SMS
• Automated SMS + Scheduling Assistance

Trial Overview The study tests whether automated SMS reminders alone, or combined with scheduling assistance, increase the rate of completed WCVs compared to standard passive outreach. Participants will be randomly placed into one of three groups: no texts, texts only, or texts plus help booking visits.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Automated SMS Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will receive automated SMS messages reminding them of their Well-Child Visits. These messages will be standardized and sent at intervals designed to prompt appointment attendance.

Group II: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will receive traditional passive outreach, which includes standard reminders and communications that do not utilize automated technologies.

Group III: Automated SMS + Scheduling Assistance Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will receive the same automated SMS messages as in Arm 2, but with the added component of proactive appointment scheduling assistance. This may include options for scheduling directly through the SMS platform or follow-up messages encouraging appointment setting.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Waymark

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1

Recruited

180+

Published Research Related to This Trial

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different reminder methods (text messages, reminder calls, or both) in increasing the use of service referrals among 300 participants from community outreach programs.

The research will help determine how mobile phone-based interventions can enhance community engagement and service utilization, potentially guiding future reminder protocols for similar programs across the country.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Research Protocol to Test the Effectiveness of Text Messaging and Reminder Calls to Increase Service Use Referrals in a Community Engagement Program. Varma, DS., Hart, M., McIntyre, DS., et al.[2020]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5227159/

Text Message Reminders Increase Appointment ... Our results indicate that sending text message reminders is an effective means to improve appointment adherence at a pediatric resident clinic in an urban ...

2. jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2798662

Effect of Electronic Outreach Using Patient Portal ... Well child care visit completion rates were 24.1% in the standard message group (aRR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.38-2.60) and 19.4% in the tailored message ...

3. archive.hshsl.umaryland.edu archive.hshsl.umaryland.edu/bitstreams/4c15e19d-be21-4d3e-bbf6-ba00ba3b545f/download

implementing text messaging The results of the outcomes data of the number of well child visit completion was 84.6%, while prior to intervention it was 46.6%. Most data points were above ...

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/am/pii/S1876285923004217

Effect of Automated and Personalized Outreach Messages ... Objective: To determine the effectiveness of text/telephone outreach messages and personal contact attempts on well child care (WCC) scheduling and completion ...

5. telehealthandmedicinetoday.com telehealthandmedicinetoday.com/index.php/journal/article/view/375/735

A Digital Intervention to Reduce Disparities in Well-Child ... Interventions such as text message reminders have proved effective at improving immunization rates.14 CHEC-UP augmented the concept of “reminder ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3483980/

Text4Health: Impact of Text Message Reminder–Recalls ... Abstract. Objectives. We conducted 2 studies to determine the impact of text message immunization reminder–recalls in an urban, low-income population.

7. cdn.clinicaltrials.gov cdn.clinicaltrials.gov/large-docs/91/NCT04994691/Prot_SAP_000.pdf

Effect of Patient Portal Outreach Messages on Well Child ... Our objective is to determine the effectiveness of varied outreach methods (e.g. automated reminder calls/text.