Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the number one cause of death in the U.S., and its prevalence is growing. By 2030, one in two people will have some form of CVD. This is a particular challenge for accountable care organizations and any healthcare organization that is seeing more of their reimbursement move to value or quality-based payments. In the next ten years, Medicare expects to have all its members covered by value-based payment programs.
Value-based reimbursement focuses on payment for quality and outcomes over quantity. Improving outcomes is complicated. How can physicians, who only see patients a few times a year, offer the kind of support that is needed to make major lifestyle changes like reversing pre-diabetes, increasing regular exercise, or lowering LDL cholesterol?
How Digital Health Can Support Value-Based Reimbursement
One solution is to provide digital health tools that fill the gaps between appointments like a heart health app that uses proven behavioral science to empower patients to make lasting changes. According to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, mobile health interventions can reduce cardiovascular disease risk by up to 40% when consistently used over six months. Despite this promise, adoption remains a challenge, with up to 80% of health apps being abandoned within two weeks of download. The solution to this challenge is two-fold. First, clinicians need a heart health app that they can confidently recommend. It should bring together all of a patient’s health data in one place, use proven techniques for driving behavior change, mirror the engagement features of popular consumer applications, and offer patient multi-media education based on the latest science.What Providers Can Do to Support Digital Health Tool Adoption
Then, clinicians must seamlessly integrate that app into patient care. Here’s a research-backed approach to successfully prescribe and promote adoption of these powerful digital interventions.- Start with a clear clinical recommendation: Frame the app as a prescribed treatment component, not an optional add-on, and as a supportive extension of your care team.
- Explain the evidence: Share specific statistics about how app-based interventions improve heart health outcomes. An app like ALYKA can reduce blood pressure, blood sugar, and LDL by up to 10%.
- Implement “prescription pads” for digital tools: Provide written instructions with download information and your recommended usage plan.
- Demonstrate the app in-office: Show patients the key features during appointments to increase comfort and familiarity. Better yet, download it in the office with them. It only takes 60 seconds.
- Set concrete health goals together: Onboarding the app, then reviewing the goals and insights together can be helpful. If that isn’t possible then provide a few key target goals such as “reduce BP by 10%” or “increase exercise to 30 minutes, five times a week”. Add them to your “prescription”.
- Address privacy concerns proactively: Explain data security measures and patient control over information sharing. The heart health app should be able to answer any questions about privacy and security.
- Schedule follow-up discussions: Plan specific times to review in-app data and celebrate progress.
- Integrate with existing care routines: Talk about how app usage complements other heart health treatments and monitoring including remote patient monitoring and chronic care management.
- Recognize engagement and achievements: Acknowledge patient efforts and improvements visible through app metrics.
