Clinical trial NCT05000619: Encouraging Overdue Healthcare Appointment Scheduling Among Patients With Chronic Diseases
Official title: Encouraging Overdue Healthcare Appointment Scheduling Among Patients With Chronic Diseases
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Health Promotion
Prevention
Risk Reduction Behavior
Lead sponsor: Geisinger Clinic
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-08-11
Enrollment: 21562
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: The goal of this study is to determine the most effective messages for encouraging patients with chronic conditions, who have not seen their doctor in at least one year, to return to the clinic. Study participants will receive postcards or letters encouraging them to make an appointment. Researchers will assess whether messages increase appointment scheduling (and attendance).

Detailed description: About 18,500 Geisinger patients, Geisinger Health Plan members, and Medicaid patients with chronic illness have not been seen in a clinic for at least one year, which is concerning because regular appointments are necessary for chronic disease management. Geisinger is therefore working to encourage those with chronic illness and overdue appointments to return to the clinic.

In the present study, patients will either receive a mailer (with a message encouraging them to schedule an appointment with their physician), or no mailer. The purpose of the study is to compare three different mailers to assess which is most effective at encouraging patients to schedule and attend an appointment. The three mailers include (1) a standard outreach postcard (emphasizing that we are "checking in" with the patient), and, informed by behavioral science research, (2) a postcard with a cartoon and humorous messages and (3) a letter signed by a physician. The study will compare the effectiveness of the three experimental mailer arms to each other and to a no-contact control arm.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Geisinger patient, Geisinger Health Plan member or Medicaid patient
* Chronic illness
* No appointment for \> 1 year

Primary outcomes:
measure: Patients - Appointment scheduling
timeFrame: 30 days
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Patients - Appointment scheduling - Comparing mailers
timeFrame: 30 days
measure: Patients - Attendance at scheduled appointments within 180 days of mailer
timeFrame: 180 days
measure: Patients, Members & Medicaid - Attendance at any appointment
timeFrame: 30 days
measure: Patients, Members & Medicaid - Attendance at any appointment
timeFrame: 90 days
measure: Patients, Members & Medicaid - Attendance at any appointment
timeFrame: 180 days
measure: Patients, Members & Medicaid - Timing of appointment
timeFrame: 30 days
measure: Patients, Members & Medicaid - Timing of appointment
timeFrame: 90 days
measure: Patients, Members & Medicaid - Timing of appointment
timeFrame: 180 days
Other outcomes:
measure: Patients - Appointment scheduling - Comparing mailers
timeFrame: 14 days
measure: Patients - Calls to scheduling line
timeFrame: 30 days
Locations:
city: Danville
country: United States
facility: Geisinger
state: Pennsylvania
Study officials:
affiliation: Geisinger Clinic
name: Amir Goren, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: