Humana Releases Results from Innovative Health Literacy and Healthcare Discrimination Screenings Pilot
“Learnings from this pilot have been very informative for our business and have led to a number of programs and interventions across the [Humana] enterprise,” said
While many health plans screen for social determinants of health— conditions in which people live, work, play, learn, and worship— few systematically screen patients for structural determinants of health, which are the economic and social experiences and policies that influence health, such as discrimination and health literacy.
Humana has taken a decisive step forward by analytically screening patients for structural determinants of health, which significantly influence one's overall health and well-being. With this pilot screening, Humana aims to gain a deeper understanding of its members' experiences, allowing for the development of targeted interventions that effectively address these barriers.
The recently conducted pilot by Humana focused on the feasibility of screening newly enrolled Medicare Advantage members for health literacy and perceived healthcare discrimination via a carefully administered telephonic survey. The results revealed varying levels of feasibility for health literacy and perceived healthcare discrimination screenings, with health literacy yielding a higher response rate. Other key findings from the pilot study include:
- Nearly 20% of respondents reported low/ limited health literacy.
- An overwhelming 88% of respondents who reported perceived healthcare discrimination were Black.
- Patients who reported low/limited health literacy were more likely to be Black, have a low income, and report feelings of loneliness/ isolation or food insecurity.
Candy Magaña, MPA, Director of Health Equity Innovation, Solutions, and Transformation at Humana, emphasizes the importance of this study, stating, “Because the literature on implementing these screenings in managed care settings is so limited, we felt it was important to understand the feasibility of screening using evidence-based, validated screening instruments and train our staff to administer them. This builds off our longstanding expertise in screening members for various social needs.”
About Humana
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Email: jweatherby@humana.com
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