Humana Releases Results from Innovative Health Literacy and Healthcare Discrimination Screenings Pilot
February 07 2024 - 8:47AM
Business Wire
Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), a leading U.S. health insurer and
healthcare services company, continues to make strides in advancing
health equity by releasing the findings of its new pilot study
published in the American Journal of Managed Care. Humana’s
screenings analysis marks the first study conducted by a national
health plan, focusing on the often overlooked but critical aspects
of structural determinants of health, like perceived discrimination
and health literacy.
“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 J. Nwando Olayiwola, MD,
MPH, Chief Health Equity Officer & SVP at Humana. “We have
expanded screening to digital and live modalities, strengthened our
staff capabilities around understanding and responding to
low/limited health literacy, and improved engagement with our
members. This is the goal of any thoughtful screening programs-
leveraging insights for tangible action.”
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
Humana Inc. is committed to putting health first – for our
teammates, customers, and company. Through our Humana
insurance services and our CenterWell health care services, we make
it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best
health – delivering the care and service they need when they need
it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for
people with Medicare, Medicaid, families, individuals, military
service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what
we offer at Humana.com and at CenterWell.com.
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Jasmine Weatherby Humana Corporate Communications Email:
jweatherby@humana.com
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