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Study Shows McKesson's Flu Vaccine, Nurse Advice Line Mailings Decrease Bed Days/ED Visits, Improve Health Plan ROINovember 07, 2008 |
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BROOMFIELD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Commercial health plan members participating in a McKesson Health Solutions program and encouraged to use a 24/7 nurse advice line or receive a flu shot have fewer inpatient bed days, lower numbers of emergency department visits and substantial ROI compared to a control group, according to research published today in The American Journal of Managed Care. The research conducted by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and McKesson Health Solutions, a business unit of McKesson Corporation, was published in the November 2008 issue of the peer-reviewed journal. “As a health plan we always believed that these mailings had a positive effect on our members and encouraged them to take advantage of services that could improve their health. With this research, we’ve verified that this outreach does make a difference,” said Allan M. Korn, M.D., an author of the article and chief medical officer and senior vice president for Clinical Affairs, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Researchers randomly divided more than 134,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield Government-wide Service Benefit Plan members 65 years old or older among three groups: flu vaccine, 24/7 nurse advice line or control. The flu vaccine and nurse advice line groups received mailings that encouraged getting a flu shot or calling a nurse for advice about an acute medical issue, respectively. The control group received no mailings. “The results of this randomized study show that commercial health plans can have positive outcomes and cost savings on medical services use as a result of mailing information to members,” said Gregory D. Berg, Ph.D., an author of the article and associate vice president of Research & Outcomes, McKesson Health Solutions. Nurse Advice Line Mailing Results The nurse advice mailing group experienced a 7.65% lower rate of condition-related inpatient bed-days and a 6.75% lower rate of condition-related emergency department visits compared to the control group. The return on investment was 24.24:1 for the nurse advice mailing. Flu Vaccine Mailing Results The influenza vaccination mailing group experienced a 2.87% lower rate of condition-related inpatient bed-days and a 7.25% lower rate of condition-related emergency department visits compared to the control group. The return on investment was 2.51:1 per dollar spent for the influenza mailing. The authors of the study are: Dr. Berg and Steven Silverstein, M.D., FACEP, vice president/chief clinical architect, both of McKesson Health Solutions; and Eileen Thomas, R.N., C.C.M., retired from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and Dr. Korn, of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. About McKesson Corporation McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 18th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson is the longest-operating company in healthcare today, and marks 175 years of continuous operations in 2008. Over the course of its history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.
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