NCT02053844

Brief Summary

This project aims to assess the impact of a web-based health care cost and quality tool that is being implemented by a health plan for its members. The study will focus on members working for medium to large employers that have more than 90% of employees enrolled in deductible and tiered network health plans. The study will use an interrupted time series (ITS) design that includes random allocation of half of these employers to a study arm that will receive enhanced promotion of the tool and a $500 lottery incentive for its use in order to increase take-up. With these two study groups (a "high-dose" group receiving enhanced promotion and a lottery, and a "low-dose" group receiving routine promotion of the tool), the study will be able to evaluate whether access to a price transparency tool leads to reduced costs and more value-driven member behavior, and whether extra promotion increases take-up. Members in the high-dose group who use the tool will be eligible to enter a monthly lottery to win a $500 prize during the 12-month intervention period. In addition to the lottery, employers in the high-dose group will receive additional promotional strategies such as a mailing and messages through the plan's member web portal to promote the tool and the lottery, and e-mails and flyers for employers to promote the tool and lottery to employees. The aims of this project are to: 1) examine take-up of the tool and factors that predict take-up; and 2) to examine the impact of the tool on total and out-of-pocket health care costs and utilization

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
81,000

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Aug 2014

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

January 31, 2014

Completed
4 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 4, 2014

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

August 1, 2014

Completed
1.3 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 1, 2015

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2015

Completed
Last Updated

August 19, 2016

Status Verified

August 1, 2016

Enrollment Period

1.3 years

First QC Date

January 31, 2014

Last Update Submit

August 18, 2016

Conditions

no Specific Condition TargetedUse of a Price Transparency Tool

Keywords

health care costsquality of health care

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • mean per-member-per-month total health care costs

    employer level per-member-per-month total costs based on claims data

    monthly for 12 months

Secondary Outcomes (3)

  • percent of subjects using the tool

    measured quarterly for 12 months

  • mean per-member-per-month out-of-pocket costs

    monthly for 12 months

  • per-member-per-month utilization of health care services

    monthly for 12 months

Other Outcomes (1)

  • reasons for using the tool

    measured with each use of the tool, over 12 months

Study Arms (2)

lottery and enhanced promotion of tool

EXPERIMENTAL

tool users in the intervention arm will be eligible to enter a monthly lottery to win one of two monthly drawings of a $500 gift card, and will receive enhanced promotion of the tool (mailed promotion, promotional message on the member web portal, and promotion through employers to employees)

Other: lottery for tool users to win a $500 prizeOther: enhanced promotion of the tool to employers and members

usual promotion of the tool

NO INTERVENTION

Routine promotion of the tool through newsletter and on health plan web site

Interventions

lottery for tool users to win a $500 prizeOTHER

Intervention group is eligible to enter a monthly lottery to win a $500 gift card if they use the tool each month.

lottery and enhanced promotion of tool
enhanced promotion of the tool to employers and membersOTHER

Intervention group also receives extra promotion of the tool through mailings, employer outreach, and automated phone calls

lottery and enhanced promotion of tool

Eligibility Criteria

Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Health plan members from employers with at least 40 subscribers, of which at least 90% are currently in deductible plans or tiered network plans, and of which at least 80% were in deductible or tiered network plans in the prior year

You may not qualify if:

  • Members in non-group accounts and members in Medicare plans; members in states outside Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Maine

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Wellesley, Massachusetts, 02481, United States

Location

Study Officials

  • Alison Galbraith, MD, MPH

    Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical Schooll

    STUDY DIRECTOR

  • Jonathan Gruber, PhD

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

January 31, 2014

First Posted

February 4, 2014

Study Start

August 1, 2014

Primary Completion

December 1, 2015

Study Completion

December 1, 2015

Last Updated

August 19, 2016

Record last verified: 2016-08

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations

US(1)