Humana Reports Significant Improvements in Medicare Healthy Days Measures

Medicare members in 4 cities across the South and Southwest reported improvements in CDC’s Healthy Days measure, according to a 2018 progress report on Bold Goal, an ongoing Humana population health effort to improve connections among physicians, patients, and communities.

The cities—New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Knoxville, Tennessee; and San Antonio, Texas—represent 4 of the 7 original Bold Goal communities, which also include Humana’s home of Louisville, Kentucky, and Tampa Bay and Broward County, Florida. But even areas without an overall decline in Unhealthy Days saw improvements among some of the sickest members of the population, including those living with depression, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

Roy Beveridge, chief medical officer for Humana, told The American Journal of Managed Care^® in an interview there are important takeaways from the findings: (1) engagement works, (2) measurement matters, and (3) the CDC metric is useful, based on Humana’s experience.

“The common thread here is the willingness of many others to engage,” Beveridge said.

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