Humana Study Shows Continued Progress on the Company’s Bold Goal to Improve Community Health Nationwide

The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal Population Health Management, shows 2015-2016 population-level Healthy Days trends and details associations between Healthy Days and social determinants of health

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--()--New research from Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) demonstrates positive trends toward its Bold Goal of improving health 20 percent by 2020. The findings, published in a peer-reviewed paper, “A Bold Goal: More Healthy Days Through Improved Community Health,” in the journal Population Health Management, illustrate how Humana has used the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC) Healthy Days survey for measuring progress in its Bold Goal population health work.

Healthy Days is a brief, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) four-question survey that asks individuals how many days per month they feel physically or mentally unhealthy. Previous research has shown that the Healthy Days results are associated with prevalence of chronic conditions and other measures of population health.

Healthy Days improvements through community interventions are highlighted in two case studies — San Antonio, Texas, and Knoxville, Tenn. The paper also describes associations between Healthy Days and social determinants of health. This has led to a Bold Goal strategic focus on loneliness/social isolation and food insecurity.

"The link between social determinants of health and Healthy Days is substantial,” commented Pattie Dale Tye, Segment Vice President and senior lead of the Bold Goal population health strategy. “Through our research, interventions and national partnerships we know that by working to eliminate barriers to health, we can have an enormous impact on health outcomes and quality of life."

In San Antonio the average number of reported unhealthy days dropped from 10.52 to 9.57 (a 9 percent improvement). Knoxville saw a 4.8 percent improvement. Across all seven of Humana’s Bold Goal communities, mean unhealthy days declined from 10.98 in 2015 to 10.64 in 2016, a 3.1 percent improvement. The paper describes projects that are addressing health barriers and chronic conditions to improve health in San Antonio and Knoxville. In these communities, Humana is working with local partners and community leaders to address social factors relevant to health in each community and to measure how their interventions impacted population health.

“We’re proud of these early Healthy Days results,” said Andrew Renda, MD MPH, one of the study’s authors. “And the innovative analysis on social determinants has significantly influenced our population health strategy to focus on food insecurity and loneliness/social isolation. This makes us optimistic that we’re on the right track, and that, with more focused and scaled social determinant interventions, we will see even better results in the future.”

“We are pleased that we were able to design a robust Bold Goal tracking plan,” added co-author Gil Haugh, who is also Director of Clinical Analytics at Humana. “Early on, we investigated best practices in complex sample survey methods and consulted with outside experts in population health who had experience using the Healthy Days survey.”

The paper describes associations between Healthy Days and social determinants of Health. Humana researchers analyzed 31 social factors and their relationship to individual health. The analysis found that inadequate social/emotional support (also known as loneliness or social isolation) and food insecurity have the strongest associations with opportunities to improve Healthy Days.

The research helps to further Humana’s Bold Goal to improve the health of the communities it serves. By identifying social and emotional support and food insecurity as the social factors that have the greatest impact on Healthy Days, Humana can focus its Bold Goal strategy on those areas.

The paper was authored by the following Humana employees: Tristan Cordier, MPH; Yongjia Song, MPH; Jesse Cambon, MEng; Gil Haugh, MS; Mark Steffen, MD, MPH; Patty Hardy, Masters in Health Care Law; Marnie Staehly, MBA; Angela Hagan, PhD; Vipin Gopal, PhD; Pattie Dale Tye, BS; and Andrew Renda, MD, MPH.

About Humana

Humana Inc. is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.

To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:

  • Annual reports to stockholders
  • Securities and Exchange Commission filings
  • Most recent investor conference presentations
  • Quarterly earnings news releases and conference calls
  • Calendar of events
  • Corporate Governance information

Contacts

Humana Inc.
Alex Kepnes, 502-580-2990
Corporate Communications
akepnes@humana.com

Release Summary

Humana Study Shows Continued Progress on the Company’s Bold Goal to Improve Community Health Nationwide

Contacts

Humana Inc.
Alex Kepnes, 502-580-2990
Corporate Communications
akepnes@humana.com