Patient incentives to motivate doctor visits and reduce hypertension disparities

About this book

In 2009, CIGNA Healthcare and RAND partnered in an initiative that examined the extent to which small financial incentives for patients can motivate physician visits and reduce racial/ethnic disparities in hypertension (HTN). The aims were (1) To assess whether a one-time $15 patient financial incentive, along with educational materials sent to patients, would be effective in motivating individuals with HTN to see their personal physician, compared with educational materials only or no intervention; (2) to determine if patient incentives encourage the control of or improvement in BP for high-risk individuals relative to educational materials only or no intervention; and (3) to assess whether patient incentives and educational materials are differentially effective across racial/ethnic groups in motivating physician visits and improving BP control and whether these differential effects lead to a reduction in racial/ethnic disparities in HTN. The initiative had a significant effect on those who had not seen a physician in over a year. Although individuals with systolic blood pressure (SBP) between 120 and 139 or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between 80 and 89 at baseline demonstrated significant and sustainable reductions in SBP over time, the initiative did not have a differential impact on lowering blood pressure over time by race/ethnicity. The report also includes evaluations of the initiative by patients and physicians.