The Effect of Team Incentives on Medication Adherence: Design of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Author(s)
Cloughesy J1, Lindemans JW1, Kulkarni S2, Luft E2, Kinnison B2, Ariely D1
1Duke University, Durham, NC, USA, 2Centene Corporation, St. Louis, MO, USA
OBJECTIVES:
Team incentives are commonly used to motivate productivity and collaboration within organizations. Recently, researchers have begun to evaluate the impact of team incentives outside of the workplace, including in the realm of health behavior change. Although existing research suggests that team incentives offer a promising route to health behavior change, such structures have not yet been tested to address the problem of non-adherence to medication regimens. Medication non-adherence is widespread, with some estimates finding close to 40% of medications are not taken as prescribed, incurring substantial costs on the healthcare system and patient's health. In partnership with a large nationwide health insurer, this study aims to evaluate the effect of team incentives on medication adherence among a population of patients taking medication for chronic disease management.METHODS:
Participants in a nationwide commercial health plan will be recruited and randomly assigned to an individual or team incentive structure. Participants assigned to the individual incentive can earn a daily monetary reward for adhering to their medication regimen, while participants assigned to the team incentive can earn the same daily monetary reward based on their own adherence and the adherence of a randomly assigned participant-teammate. Participants will track their adherence and receive daily payments via a mobile application designed for the study. The study will last for a period of 5 months.RESULTS:
Medication adherence will be evaluated using prescription pick-up data from pharmacy claims. Proportion of days covered will be calculated and compared between conditions to evaluate the effect of the intervention on adherence. Secondary outcomes will include effects on healthcare utilization and psychological mechanisms using survey data.CONCLUSIONS:
The results of this study will provide insight into the effectiveness of individual and team incentives for improving medication adherence among members in a nationwide, commercial health insurance plan taking medication for chronic disease management.Conference/Value in Health Info
2023-05, ISPOR 2023, Boston, MA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 26, Issue 6, S2 (June 2023)
Code
PCR108
Topic
Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Adherence, Persistence, & Compliance, Patient Behavior and Incentives
Disease
Cardiovascular Disorders (including MI, Stroke, Circulatory)