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 poolExamples of subsets that may be amenable to changeComponents of a program that can compete effectively with current behavior patternsIllustrative 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.
Current as of November 2007
Internet Citation: Table 4. Applying Social Marketing Strategies to Developing and Marketing a Consumer Incentive Program: Consumer Financial Incentives: A Decision Guide for Purchasers. November 2007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/quality-resources/value/incentives/incenttab4.html