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Table 4. Applying Social Marketing Strategies to Developing and Marketing a Consumer Incentive Program
Consumer Financial Incentives: A Decision Guide for Purchasers
Population segments in a large employer's beneficiary pool
Examples of subsets that may be amenable to change
Components of a program that can compete effectively with current behavior patterns
Illustrative strategies to target this subset
Retired beneficiaries
Those with a chronic disease needing ongoing management.
Most common chronic disease among segment: cardiovascular disease.
Frequent concerns of segment: cost and lack of understanding of how to manage disease.
Eliminate copayments for heart failure drugs.
Offer free nutrition education, including free to spouses or other family members who are primary food preparers.
Provide coupons for healthier foods.
Feature a respected, retired local news anchor in public service announcements in print media.
Collaborate with unions on health fairs and cooking classes for older members with heart disease.
Young workers
Those with a chronic disease needing ongoing management.
Most common chronic disease among segment: asthma.
Frequent concerns of segment: convenience, preventing disease from interfering with lifestyle.
Reduce copayments for drugs that can be dosed less often.
Offer Web-based education about how to respond to disease flares.
Allow pre-prescription of the drugs needed when a flare occurs to allow the patient to start treatment without an office visit.
Sponsor a "Living with Asthma" video contest in which people show how they manage their drug regimen.
Include as judges both doctors (for content) and patients (for humor).
Announce winners via a YouTube-like Web site.
Patients with symptoms
Those who need surgical intervention.
Example: a weekend warrior tears a ligament and needs knee surgery.
Frequent concerns: "I know nothing about knee surgery." "Who will fix my knee right the first time?"
Provide quality of care data on orthopedic surgeons, emphasizing such life issues as average time to resume walking, average time to return to work.
Offer incentives to use surgeons with better performance ratings.
As this could happen to anyone, use multiple distribution channels—each more salient to a different subset of patients.
Do most of the education that comparative data are available before an event happens.
Page last reviewed October 2014
Internet Citation: Table 4. Applying Social Marketing Strategies to Developing and Marketing a Consumer Incentive Program: Consumer Financial Incentives: A Decision Guide for Purchasers.
October 2014. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://archive.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/quality-resources/value/incentives/incenttab4.html
The information on this page is archived and provided for reference purposes only.
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