OBJECTIVES

: Digital Patient Coaching has been shown to positively improve clinical and behavioral outcomes as well as lower overall utilization in care. Incorporating tools such as digital patient coaching into the workflow of clinicians may aid better outcomes, patient experience, and healthcare utilization. In turn, clinicians are able to overcome the barriers such as time, cost, and patient non-adherence to recommended care. The quality-adjusted life year (QALY) is a measure of disease burden, including both the quality and the quantity of life lived. One QALY equates to one year spent in perfect health. The objective of this study was to examine the impact digital remote coaching would have on patient QALYs.

METHODS

Using a formula developed by Revicki et al. and patient responses to the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 assessment, as well as their demographic information, we were able to calculate the number of added QALYs for patients with chronic conditions that participated in a digital health coaching program.

RESULTS

: Patients (n = 521) with a variety of chronic conditions including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), dyslipidemia, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), overactive bladder, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and type 2 diabetes opted into the study, gave consent, and received the 12-week coaching intervention. After participation, patients on average added 1 QALY. Average QALYs ranged by condition with those patients who had RA (n = 62) adding the most at 1.8 QALYs and patients with dyslipidemia (n = 29) added the fewest with .26 QALYs.

CONCLUSIONS

: Study results suggest that a digital, patient-centered health coaching program is an effective solution to increasing QALYs for patients with chronic conditions.