NCT03451630

Brief Summary

Multiple chronic conditions (MCC) are widely recognized as the U.S. public health challenge of the 21st century. These physical and behavioral health conditions take a large toll on those living with chronic diseases, including many who are publicly insured, as well as caregivers and society. While evidence-based integrated care models can improve outcomes for individuals with MCC, such models have not yet been widely implemented. Insurance providers/payers have innovative system features that can be used to deploy these models; however, the investigators do not yet know which of these features can best help to improve outcomes for individuals with MCC in general or high-need subgroups in particular. As a result, patients lack information to make important decisions about their health and health care, and system-level decision makers face ongoing challenges in effectively and efficiently supporting those with MCC. This real-world study will provide useful information about available options for supporting individuals with MCC. Building on existing integrated care efforts, the investigators will enroll N=1,400 (a modified total N) adults with MCC at risk for repeated hospitalizations and assess the impact of three payer-led options (e.g. High-Touch, High-Tech, Standard Care/Optimal Discharge Planning (ODP)) on patient-centered outcomes, namely patient activation in health care, health status, and subsequent re-hospitalization. The investigators will also determine which option works best for whom under what circumstances by gathering information directly from individuals with MCC through self-report questionnaires, health care use data, and interviews.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
1,400

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable diabetes

Timeline
Completed

Started Sep 2018

Longer than P75 for not_applicable diabetes

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 30, 2018

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

March 2, 2018

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 4, 2018

Completed
4.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

November 30, 2022

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

November 30, 2022

Completed
2 years until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

December 9, 2024

Completed
Last Updated

December 9, 2024

Status Verified

October 1, 2024

Enrollment Period

4.2 years

First QC Date

January 30, 2018

Results QC Date

October 30, 2023

Last Update Submit

December 4, 2024

Conditions

Keywords

chronic conditionscare managementdigital tools

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

  • Patient Activation

    Assessed using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM), a 13-item scale that gauges individual knowledge, skills, and confidence essential to managing one's own health. We assess a global score of the PAM measure, with scores ranging from 0 to 100; lower values represent a poor outcome while higher values represent a better outcome.

    Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-months.

  • Change in Health Status

    Assessed using the RAND 36-Item Short Form Survey 1.0 (SF-36). The SF-36 is a set of 36 health status and quality-of-life measures that are patient self-reported and measure functional health and well-being within eight domains, including physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, role limitations due to emotional problems, energy/fatigue, emotional well-being, social functioning, pain, and general health. Values are recoded per the scoring key relating each item to the appropriate subscale. All items are scored so that a high score defines a more favorable health state. We assess a global scale with a 0 to 100 range with 0 being worst possible health status and 100 being the best possible health status.

    Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-months.

  • 90-Day Hospital Readmission Rate

    90-Day Readmissions will be measured using an all-cause readmission rate from inpatient claims for physical and behavioral health service use within 90 days following discharge from the qualifying inpatient admission prior to enrollment in the study.

    1 to 90 days

Secondary Outcomes (15)

  • 30-Day Hospital Readmission Rate

    1 to 30 days

  • Functional Status

    Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-months.

  • Quality of Life

    Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-months.

  • Care Satisfaction

    Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-months.

  • Emergent Care Use

    Assessed at baseline, 6- and 12-Months.

  • +10 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (3)

High-Touch

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Delivered primarily via face-to-face interactions, with telephonic interactions and information sharing that does not require access to mobile devices or the Internet. In-person support and/or telephonic interactions to occur at least four times over at least a four-month period.

Behavioral: High-Touch

High-Tech

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Delivered via a remote care management platform and digital health tools. Remote care support interactions to occur for at least a four-month period.

Behavioral: High-Tech

Optimal Discharge Planning

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Delivered via Health Plan support and resources within 14-30 days of an initial home or telephonic visit.

Behavioral: Optimal Discharge Planning

Interventions

High-TouchBEHAVIORAL

Intensive, in-person and/or telephonic support.

High-Touch
High-TechBEHAVIORAL

Remote care management and self-directed digital tools.

High-Tech

Transition to other Health Plan disease management programs and/or community resources.

Optimal Discharge Planning

Eligibility Criteria

Age21 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Medicaid or dual-eligible (Medicare-Medicaid) adults, ages 21 years and older with Multiple Chronic Conditions (MCC).
  • Have at least one physical health condition (e.g., cardiovascular disease, hypertension, COPD, diabetes).
  • Have at least one additional physical or behavioral health condition (e.g., depression, serious mental illness, substance abuse disorder).
  • Reside in Western, Central, or Eastern Pennsylvania.
  • Be insured through physical and/or behavioral health payers within the UPMC ISD.
  • Individuals will have several comorbidities, will have been prescribed several medications, and/or will be predicted future high health care utilizers.
  • Must have at least one hospital discharge within 30 days of enrollment.
  • Speak and read English or Spanish at a 4th grade level.

You may not qualify if:

  • Individuals receiving advanced levels of care, including:
  • Individuals who are pregnant.
  • Individuals in skilled nursing facilities or receiving hospice or palliative care.
  • Individuals on hemodialysis for kidney disease.
  • Individuals whose inpatient admission was related to active cancer treatment.
  • Individuals currently enrolled in an RPM program.
  • Individuals who have participated in High-Touch or High-Tech within the previous 12 months.
  • Individuals who are unable to operate a smart phone due to limitations in literacy, vision, or dexterity.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

UPMC

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219, United States

Location

Related Publications (2)

  • Kearney SM, Williams K, Nikolajski C, Park MJ, Kraemer KL, Landsittel D, Kang C, Malito A, Schuster J. Stakeholder impact on the implementation of integrated care: Opportunities to consider for patient-centered outcomes research. Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 Feb;101:106256. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2020.106256. Epub 2020 Dec 29.

    PMID: 33383229BACKGROUND
  • Williams K, Markwardt S, Kearney SM, Karp JF, Kraemer KL, Park MJ, Freund P, Watson A, Schuster J, Beckjord E. Addressing Implementation Challenges to Digital Care Delivery for Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions: Stakeholder Feedback in a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021 Feb 1;9(2):e23498. doi: 10.2196/23498.

    PMID: 33522981BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Diabetes MellitusAsthmaPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveHypertensionAnxiety DisordersAtrial FibrillationHeart FailureDepressionBipolar DisorderSchizophreniaChronic Disease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Glucose Metabolism DisordersMetabolic DiseasesNutritional and Metabolic DiseasesEndocrine System DiseasesBronchial DiseasesRespiratory Tract DiseasesLung Diseases, ObstructiveLung DiseasesRespiratory HypersensitivityHypersensitivity, ImmediateHypersensitivityImmune System DiseasesDisease AttributesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsVascular DiseasesCardiovascular DiseasesMental DisordersArrhythmias, CardiacHeart DiseasesBehavioral SymptomsBehaviorBipolar and Related DisordersMood DisordersSchizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Limitations and Caveats

Approximately 10% of our total sample was eligible for the gaps in care analysis using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) data, and therefore, several HEDIS based outcomes were not adequately powered to demonstrate statistical significance. Due to privacy and data sharing policies, we recognize not all claims related substance use diagnoses or behavioral health were obtained for analysis.

Results Point of Contact

Title
Kelly Williams, PhD, MPH
Organization
UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care

Study Officials

  • Dan Swayze, DrPH, MBA

    University of Pittsburgh

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
Yes

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
Intervention Model
FACTORIAL
Model Details: We chose an individual, stratified randomized trial design to randomly assign each enrollee to one of the three interventions arms, minimizing and balancing confounding variables. We will utilize an unequal randomization ratio of 2:2:1 for High-Touch, High-Tech, and ODP, respectively. While the less resource intensive ODP, in fact, improve meaningful outcomes for certain patient subgroups, our health care system has invested heavily in High-Touch and High-Tech as evidence-based solutions for chronic disease care. We will use a mixed-methods approach that incorporates both qualitative and quantitative data.
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Vice President, Community Services for UPMC Health Plan

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

January 30, 2018

First Posted

March 2, 2018

Study Start

September 4, 2018

Primary Completion

November 30, 2022

Study Completion

November 30, 2022

Last Updated

December 9, 2024

Results First Posted

December 9, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-10

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Due to the sensitive nature of the questions asked in this study, survey respondents were assured raw data would remain confidential and would not be shared.

Locations