A mobile app offered to individuals covered by Centene's Medicaid plan in Arizona improved medication adherence, and reduced healthcare visits and costs, according to a study published Oct. 21 in The American Journal of Managed Care.
The study found that using the Wellth app helped Medicaid patients with chronic conditions stick to their medications more consistently and reduced unnecessary healthcare visits, ultimately leading to cost savings. The Wellth app uses financial incentives to encourage people to take their medications as prescribed.
"Managed care decision makers should consider these findings when deciding what types of behavioral interventions and supports to offer insurance plan members, particularly those managing chronic conditions, to reduce avoidable healthcare expenses," the researchers wrote.
Researchers conducted an observational study on individuals enrolled in Centene's Arizona Complete Health, following participants over nine months from March 2020 to January 2021. The study included patients with conditions such as diabetes, COPD, asthma, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and opioid use disorder, all of whom had shown low medication adherence. Eligible participants were offered the Wellth app at no cost, funded by the Medicaid provider at $225 per person. Those who used the app were compared to a matched group of non-users to track changes in medication adherence and healthcare utilization.
The results showed that using Wellth increased medication adherence by about 5 percentage points on average and led to fewer emergency department, inpatient, and mental health clinic visits compared to the non-user group. The short-term reductions in healthcare usage translated to estimated cost savings of around $88 per person over nine months, with especially notable savings for patients with COPD, schizophrenia, or major depression.
The study had a few limitations. Since it wasn't a randomized controlled trial, there wasn't a true control group. Additionally, the study began around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and data on prescribed pill quantities weren't available for non-users, which may have impacted the findings.