Financial incentives for home-based health monitoring: A randomized controlled trial

Aditi P. Sen; Taylor B. Sewell; E. Brooks Riley; Beth Stearman; Scarlett L. Bellamy; Michelle F. Hu; Yuanyuan Tao; Jingsan Zhu; James D. Park; George Loewenstein; David A. Asch; Kevin G. Volpp

doi:10.1007/s11606-014-2778-0

Financial incentives for home-based health monitoring: A randomized controlled trial

Aditi P. Sen, Taylor B. Sewell, E. Brooks Riley, Beth Stearman, Scarlett L. Bellamy, Michelle F. Hu, Yuanyuan Tao, Jingsan Zhu, James D. Park, George Loewenstein, David A. Asch, Kevin G. Volpp

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Home wireless device monitoring could play an important role in improving the health of patients with poorly controlled chronic diseases, but daily engagement rates among these patients may be low. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of two different magnitudes of financial incentives for improving adherence to remote-monitoring regimens among patients with poorly controlled diabetes. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. (Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01282957). PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-five patients with a hemoglobin A1c greater than or equal to 7.5 % recruited from a Primary Care Medical Home practice at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. INTERVENTIONS: Twelve weeks of daily home-monitoring of blood glucose, blood pressure, and weight (control group; n=28); a lottery incentive with expected daily value of $2.80 (n=26) for daily monitoring; and a lottery incentive with expected daily value of $1.40 (n=21) for daily monitoring. MAIN MEASURES: Daily use of three home-monitoring devices during the three-month intervention (primary outcome) and during the three-month follow-up period and change in A1c over the intervention period (secondary outcomes). KEY RESULTS: Incentive arm participants used devices on a higher proportion of days relative to control (81 % low incentive vs. 58 %, P=0.007; 77 % high incentive vs. 58 %, P=0.02) during the three-month intervention period. There was no difference in adherence between the two incentive arms (P=0.58). When incentives were removed, adherence in the high incentive arm declined while remaining relatively high in the low incentive arm. In month 6, the low incentive arm had an adherence rate of 62 % compared to 35 % in the high incentive arm (P=0.015) and 27 % in the control group (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: A daily lottery incentive worth $1.40 per day improved monitoring rates relative to control and had significantly better efficacy once incentives were removed than a higher incentive.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	770-777
Number of pages	8
Journal	Journal of general internal medicine
Volume	29
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-014-2778-0
State	Published - May 2014
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

adherence
chronic disease
disease management
health behavior
health information technology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Internal Medicine

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10.1007/s11606-014-2778-0

Cite this

@article{46bbd637e2f844bdb57037b09c1ac8ad,

title = "Financial incentives for home-based health monitoring: A randomized controlled trial",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: Home wireless device monitoring could play an important role in improving the health of patients with poorly controlled chronic diseases, but daily engagement rates among these patients may be low. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of two different magnitudes of financial incentives for improving adherence to remote-monitoring regimens among patients with poorly controlled diabetes. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. (Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01282957). PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-five patients with a hemoglobin A1c greater than or equal to 7.5 % recruited from a Primary Care Medical Home practice at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. INTERVENTIONS: Twelve weeks of daily home-monitoring of blood glucose, blood pressure, and weight (control group; n=28); a lottery incentive with expected daily value of $2.80 (n=26) for daily monitoring; and a lottery incentive with expected daily value of $1.40 (n=21) for daily monitoring. MAIN MEASURES: Daily use of three home-monitoring devices during the three-month intervention (primary outcome) and during the three-month follow-up period and change in A1c over the intervention period (secondary outcomes). KEY RESULTS: Incentive arm participants used devices on a higher proportion of days relative to control (81 % low incentive vs. 58 %, P=0.007; 77 % high incentive vs. 58 %, P=0.02) during the three-month intervention period. There was no difference in adherence between the two incentive arms (P=0.58). When incentives were removed, adherence in the high incentive arm declined while remaining relatively high in the low incentive arm. In month 6, the low incentive arm had an adherence rate of 62 % compared to 35 % in the high incentive arm (P=0.015) and 27 % in the control group (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: A daily lottery incentive worth $1.40 per day improved monitoring rates relative to control and had significantly better efficacy once incentives were removed than a higher incentive.",

keywords = "adherence, chronic disease, disease management, health behavior, health information technology",

author = "Sen, {Aditi P.} and Sewell, {Taylor B.} and Riley, {E. Brooks} and Beth Stearman and Bellamy, {Scarlett L.} and Hu, {Michelle F.} and Yuanyuan Tao and Jingsan Zhu and Park, {James D.} and George Loewenstein and Asch, {David A.} and Volpp, {Kevin G.}",

note = "Funding Information: Funders: This work was supported by grants RC2AG036592 and P30AG034546 from the National Institute on Aging. Funding Information: Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest. Drs. Asch, Loewenstein, and Volpp have served as consultants for VAL Health, and Drs. Loewenstein and Volpp have served as consultants for CVS Caremark. Dr. Volpp has also received research funding from Weight Watchers, CVS Caremark, Humana, Horizon BCBS, and McKinsey, none of which is directly related to the subject of this study. Dr. Loewenstein has also received research funding from CVS Caremark and Humana. The other authors (Sen, Sewell, Riley, Stearman, Bellamy, Hu, Park, Tao, and Zhu) have no financial disclosures or other conflicts of interest to report.",

year = "2014",

month = may,

doi = "10.1007/s11606-014-2778-0",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "29",

pages = "770--777",

journal = "Journal of general internal medicine",

issn = "0884-8734",

publisher = "Springer New York",

number = "5",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Financial incentives for home-based health monitoring

T2 - A randomized controlled trial

AU - Sen, Aditi P.

AU - Sewell, Taylor B.

AU - Riley, E. Brooks

AU - Stearman, Beth

AU - Bellamy, Scarlett L.

AU - Hu, Michelle F.

AU - Tao, Yuanyuan

AU - Zhu, Jingsan

AU - Park, James D.

AU - Loewenstein, George

AU - Asch, David A.

AU - Volpp, Kevin G.

N1 - Funding Information: Funders: This work was supported by grants RC2AG036592 and P30AG034546 from the National Institute on Aging. Funding Information: Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest. Drs. Asch, Loewenstein, and Volpp have served as consultants for VAL Health, and Drs. Loewenstein and Volpp have served as consultants for CVS Caremark. Dr. Volpp has also received research funding from Weight Watchers, CVS Caremark, Humana, Horizon BCBS, and McKinsey, none of which is directly related to the subject of this study. Dr. Loewenstein has also received research funding from CVS Caremark and Humana. The other authors (Sen, Sewell, Riley, Stearman, Bellamy, Hu, Park, Tao, and Zhu) have no financial disclosures or other conflicts of interest to report.

PY - 2014/5

Y1 - 2014/5

N2 - BACKGROUND: Home wireless device monitoring could play an important role in improving the health of patients with poorly controlled chronic diseases, but daily engagement rates among these patients may be low. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of two different magnitudes of financial incentives for improving adherence to remote-monitoring regimens among patients with poorly controlled diabetes. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. (Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01282957). PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-five patients with a hemoglobin A1c greater than or equal to 7.5 % recruited from a Primary Care Medical Home practice at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. INTERVENTIONS: Twelve weeks of daily home-monitoring of blood glucose, blood pressure, and weight (control group; n=28); a lottery incentive with expected daily value of $2.80 (n=26) for daily monitoring; and a lottery incentive with expected daily value of $1.40 (n=21) for daily monitoring. MAIN MEASURES: Daily use of three home-monitoring devices during the three-month intervention (primary outcome) and during the three-month follow-up period and change in A1c over the intervention period (secondary outcomes). KEY RESULTS: Incentive arm participants used devices on a higher proportion of days relative to control (81 % low incentive vs. 58 %, P=0.007; 77 % high incentive vs. 58 %, P=0.02) during the three-month intervention period. There was no difference in adherence between the two incentive arms (P=0.58). When incentives were removed, adherence in the high incentive arm declined while remaining relatively high in the low incentive arm. In month 6, the low incentive arm had an adherence rate of 62 % compared to 35 % in the high incentive arm (P=0.015) and 27 % in the control group (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: A daily lottery incentive worth $1.40 per day improved monitoring rates relative to control and had significantly better efficacy once incentives were removed than a higher incentive.

AB - BACKGROUND: Home wireless device monitoring could play an important role in improving the health of patients with poorly controlled chronic diseases, but daily engagement rates among these patients may be low. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of two different magnitudes of financial incentives for improving adherence to remote-monitoring regimens among patients with poorly controlled diabetes. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. (Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01282957). PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-five patients with a hemoglobin A1c greater than or equal to 7.5 % recruited from a Primary Care Medical Home practice at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. INTERVENTIONS: Twelve weeks of daily home-monitoring of blood glucose, blood pressure, and weight (control group; n=28); a lottery incentive with expected daily value of $2.80 (n=26) for daily monitoring; and a lottery incentive with expected daily value of $1.40 (n=21) for daily monitoring. MAIN MEASURES: Daily use of three home-monitoring devices during the three-month intervention (primary outcome) and during the three-month follow-up period and change in A1c over the intervention period (secondary outcomes). KEY RESULTS: Incentive arm participants used devices on a higher proportion of days relative to control (81 % low incentive vs. 58 %, P=0.007; 77 % high incentive vs. 58 %, P=0.02) during the three-month intervention period. There was no difference in adherence between the two incentive arms (P=0.58). When incentives were removed, adherence in the high incentive arm declined while remaining relatively high in the low incentive arm. In month 6, the low incentive arm had an adherence rate of 62 % compared to 35 % in the high incentive arm (P=0.015) and 27 % in the control group (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: A daily lottery incentive worth $1.40 per day improved monitoring rates relative to control and had significantly better efficacy once incentives were removed than a higher incentive.

KW - adherence

KW - chronic disease

KW - disease management

KW - health behavior

KW - health information technology

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ER -

Financial incentives for home-based health monitoring: A randomized controlled trial

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