Health Literacy Informs Consumers and Reduces Costs
How information could reduce Medicare spending by $25.4 billion and lead to more of the care you need.
Health literacy hinges on the consumer having all the necessary information, and knowing how to interpret the information, in order to make smart and conscious decisions for their personal and families' health. Literacy depends on the availability of information, transparency in the information, and provision of information in a way that all people can understand; including for different ages, education level, language, etc.
According to a UnitedHealth Group research report: “Health literacy represents the ability of individuals to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways that promote and maintain good health for themselves, their families, and their communities,” the report explained. “Individuals with limited health literacy can encounter challenges interpreting basic health information, such as hospital discharge and medication dosing instructions.”
Why is health literacy important? Because if consumers do not know how the system works, and how to move within the system, it will be costly for everyone involved. The problem is that not everyone has access to the same amount of information. The UnitedHealth Group research report found that “even in the counties with the best health literacy levels, 15 to 27 percent of the county still did not have high health literacy. In counties with low health literacy, anywhere from 36 percent to 59 percent of the residents demonstrated low health literacy.”
Some of the highest health literacy rates occurred among Medicare beneficiaries. This group shows that more people tended to get flu shots, more people avoided unnecessary hospitalizations, and fewer people visited the emergency room. All of these trends come from savvy navigators of the health system, people with enough information to make the right decisions. Meaning Medicare beneficiaries’ health outcomes were better and their spending decreased.
Can you imagine if everyone was as health literate as Medicare beneficiaries? And what could happen if we could improve health literacy among Medicare beneficiaries? Well the study found that in counties with high rates of health literacy, Medicare beneficiaries save an average of $700 on their healthcare costs.
If seniors, likely the demographic using the healthcare system the most, are health literate, the cost to the system would reduce as well as the cost to individuals. This opens a unique opportunity for health plans or other organizations (such as Doctor’s Choice) to assist with increasing literacy rates and reducing overall cost. Not only would individuals benefit from increased health literacy, but so will employers sponsoring healthcare for their employees.
The study by UnitedHealth Group recommends several solutions to improving health literacy:
Healthcare professionals working with consumers need to commit to better communication and actively helping consumers understand their options - this includes insurance companies and medical professionals.
The industry can provide health literacy training to help give healthcare professionals (providers and payers) the education they need to meet the first suggestion.
Payers and providers need to look at their messaging to make sure it is accessible and understandable to all.
Increase accessibility of communications from healthcare professionals, insurance companies, etc. to be in multiple languages.
Using video and visual aids in teaching health literacy.
Create a resource network for people/consumers so they have multiple avenues to look for help when they do not understand.
Not only can healthcare workers offer support and education about actual clinical needs of the patient, but they can speak about social determinants of health such as environmental or emotional concerns regarding someone’s health. Since individual's health is composed of both internal and external factors, healthcare professionals need to educate about the whole health of a person, not just the clinical side of things.
If we were to all work toward the goal of increased health literacy, the country could spend a more efficient amount on healthcare and people using the system would be able to make smarter, more economic decisions about their health. Knowledge is power.
If you are an individual or employer and would like to kick off your road to increased health literacy, reduce your healthcare costs, and rest assured you're making the right decision for your health, reach out to us and see how we can help. We can create customized education for individuals and groups depending on the need.
Doctor’s Choice is committed to you and helping you to achieve the best outcome.