Peer-reviewed Journal Confirms Impactability Drives Better Results
CCNC’s approach to identifying the most “impactable” patients is detailed in an article in the peer-reviewed journal Population Health Management. While care management of high-cost/high-needs patients is a common strategy to reduce health care costs, CCNC has been able to answer a more compelling question: How can we identify the patients who are most likely to benefit from care management intervention?
The article describes the evolution of complex care management targeting strategies at CCNC in its work with the statewide Medicaid population, culminating in the development of an Impactability ScoreTM that uses administrative data to predict achievable savings. CCNC estimated intervention effects in a historical cohort of patients receiving complex care management versus a control population to estimate total cost savings at an individual level. The savings was then used to determine the predictive contribution of a multitude of demographic, clinical, and utilization characteristics. CCNC found that utilization patterns unexplained by disease burden proved to be far more important predictors of impactability than any given diagnosis or event, disease profile, or overall costs of care, and that social determinants often played a significant role in patient needs. Compared to other targeting strategies, impactability-based targeting provides two to three times the return on investment. Savings per patient can be as high as $6,000 annually.
Once impactable patients are identified, individualized care plans are created by their assigned care managers. These are the patients CCNC care managers can really help – not just the riskiest or most expensive. Our approach gets results like fewer admissions and readmissions, and higher quality of life for the patient.
“We’re gratified to receive a scientific stamp-of-approval from peer-review,” said Carlos T. Jackson, Director of Program Evaluation for CCNC. “And we’re pleased that rigorous evaluation of our care management program has demonstrated actual and substantial savings.” To read the article in its entirety, go here.
For more information, please contact Paul Mahoney.
