Case Management’s Role in Health Literacy

It won’t be long before health care reform begins to take effect and the ranks of the newly insured swell by tens of millions of people.  Although this is potentially very good news for Americans who currently don’t have health insurance, it could spell financial disaster for health care providers, health care insurers, and employers, as well.  It could turn into a very costly proposition for not only the state of Missouri, but the nation, as a whole, if the issue of health literacy isn’t addressed in a timely and effective manner.  Some estimate that health literacy costs our country over $100 billion a year!

Even the smartest among us often have trouble understanding how to take their latest prescription or interpret insurance forms.  In a recent St. Louis Business Journal article, author, Arthur Culbert, noted that

“…more than 90 million people in the United States have difficulty understanding and effectively using health information…”.

Health literacy encompasses not only how well an adult can navigate the healthcare system, but also how well he or she understands a doctor’s instructions and what constitutes better choices for preventive care.  This trickles down to young adults (teens), as well, as they often take care of themselves when it comes to taking medicines or healthy lifestyle choices.

Along with organizations, such as Health Literacy Missouri (helping to rewrite patient materials), case managers can be of huge benefit to insurers and insured alike.  Case managers can be the bridge to patients with health literacy issues.  By helping them to navigate the maze that comprises our national healthcare system, case managers can, figuratively speaking, put a finger in the dike holding back billions of healthcare dollars from being wasted.

According to an example cited in the Business Journal article, a one percent decrease in calls to United Health Group’s service centers would save them approximately $24 million.  Case managers can help divert patients from calling on overworked customer service and HR departments by transitioning patients from one level of care to another, advocating for patients to be sure they are taking advantage of the best resources for their disease or health condition and by insuring they take medications correctly.

Case managers not only make a difference for the patients, but also for the bottom lines of the companies insuring, employing and providing care for them.  They can be an integral part of minimizing the difficulties and expense posed by health literacy in our country.