Healthcare Toolkits : Empowering Consumers Through Education

Consumer healthcare toolkits are critical to drive behavior change and empower consumers. Healthcare toolkits encourage consumer advocacy through interactive approaches. By teaching self-awarenesss and skills to reliably assess personal health, toolkits promote responsible treatment decisions. In this special report, "Healthcare Toolkits: Empowering Consumers Through Education," HIN's panel of experts described the ways healthcare organizations can capitalize on today's consumer-driven healthcare environment by using healthcare toolkits to promote awareness and generate positive returns on investment by helping consumers help themselves. You'll hear from Erin Lenox, associate, Hilb Rogal & Hobbs, Tracy J. Mungeam, managing consultant, Hilb Rogal & Hobbs, and John Mills, director, product development, HIP Health Plans, on how the movement toward consumerism is driving the adoption of healthcare toolkits and how organizations are benefitting from the implementation of various toolkits. This 40-page report is based on the June 15, 2005 audio conference "Consumer Health Toolkits: Providing the Right Tools at the Right Time to Empower Consumers" during which Lenox, Mungeam and Mills described the types of toolkits that healthcare organizations are using, their organizations' initiatives and program results. You'll get details on: Which toolkit development -- inhouse or outsourced -- experts prefer for their organization; How to educate employees on consumer-driven healthcare; How a multi-faceted approach to educating consumers can have multiple advantages; Driving adoption -- six ways to promote consumer awareness; and How healthcare toolkits will be evolving in the future. Table of Contents Consumer-Driven Healthcare: The Fundamentals The Movement Toward Consumerism Crunching the Numbers Some Statistics on Healthcare Costs Expanding the Role of Employers Driving Behavior Change The Basics of Consumer Health Toolkits Web-based Toolkit: myuhc.com Consumer Health Toolkits Overview Cost/Quality Data from a Toolkit A Look at a Live Nurse Line Toolkit Use in Disease Management Tookit Content and Outsourcing Recent Innovations in e-Health Cost Savings Tied to Members' Behavior Change Accepted Methods of Measuring Toolkit ROIConsumer Health Toolkits: Supply and Demand Multi-faceted Approaches, Multiple Advantages Sample Healthcare Cost Calculator Consumer Empowerment Driving Adoption Driving Adoption of Health Toolkits Results, Returns and Customer ResponseQ&A: Ask the Experts Employee Education In-house vs. Outsourced Toolkit Development A Big Job For Small Companies Frequently Used Tools Trends in Utilization Site-Secure Tools Improving HRAs Impact of Cost Transparency Risk Assessments and HIPAA Regulations Reaching the Technologically Challenged Educated Patients and Their Physician Provider Education Engaging Extrinsic Interest In-house Incentives Getting Member Feedback Driving Adoption of Consumer Health ToolkitsLenox, Eric is the author of 'Healthcare Toolkits : Empowering Consumers Through Education', published 2005 under ISBN 9781933402284 and ISBN 1933402288.