Research Report: Personalized Health Navigation by Behaviorally-Trained RedBrick Guide Produces More Sustained Health Engagement

MINNEAPOLIS, June 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RedBrick Health, a leading provider of health and well-being solutions that deliver a better employee experience and a stronger Culture of Health, has published the results of a first-of-a-kind study linking a live health-navigation service with sustained health engagement.

The study, published this week online in Population Health Management, finds that consumers who completed a Next-Steps Consult, a single concierge-like session with a trained expert leveraging multiple evidence-based behavior models, were nearly four times as likely to join a live health coaching program, nearly three times as likely to engage digitally in RedBrick Journeys, and over twice as likely to begin tracking their health activity online or with a wearable device. A distinguishing feature of Next Steps-Consult is that it leverages multiple evidence-based behavioral models. Consumers remained more engaged over time, with over 200% more engagement in each modality six months following the navigation consult.

In prior research published in 2016, RedBrick found that sustained engagement strongly predicted improved health outcomes, such as reduction in BMI and cholesterol, and improvement nutrition, exercise and stress resilience.

"While we're incredibly proud of the positive outcomes produced by our research-backed digital experience, the live aspect of what we do helps us reach even more deeply into populations," said Dan Ryan, chief executive officer at RedBrick Health. "And it's the blending of live and digital experience around a common Behavior Change Framework that really sets us apart."

The study included a total of 166,258 individuals across 35 companies, representing a wide range of industry sectors. Differences between the participant and the non-participant comparison groups were statistically controlled for in the analysis through propensity-matching techniques. Those who chose to take advantage of the Next-Steps Consult were 3.9 times as likely to engage in live coaching, 2.7 times as likely to start a RedBrick Journey (digital coaching experience), and 2.4 times as likely to begin tracking their daily activity using an app and/or wearable device. Researchers found that the increased participation persisted at six months, with 2.8 times as much live coaching engagement, 2.1 times as much digital coaching engagement and 2.0 times as much activity tracking.

Earlier this year, RedBrick also published the results of a landmark study on the effectiveness of various incentive models in producing health outcomes. The incentive study countered the conventional wisdom that outcome-based incentives produce better outcomes. RedBrick created the Next-Steps Consult to help identify and amplify participants' intrinsic motivations, in order to complement extrinsic incentives as part of an overall engagement strategy.

Researchers found that these concierge-style health-navigation consults—conducted in scheduled 15-minute sessions primarily by phone—appealed to traditionally hard-to-reach populations including older workers and those in manufacturing settings.  

"The evidence that a single live consult with an expert navigation guide trained in health behavior keeps people engaged—even six months later—reinforces the power of the human element, and serves as an important reminder of the limitations of a digital-only approach to health," added Ryan.

Read the complete research study, "The Impact of Specialized Telephonic Guides on Employee Engagement in Corporate Well-Being Programs," at the Population Health Management website here.

RedBrick Journeys are a registered trademark of RedBrick Health Corporation. Next-Steps Consult and Behavior Change Framework are trademarks of RedBrick Health Corporation.

About RedBrick Health

RedBrick Health helps organizations improve population health and well-being. Because every consumer has unique needs, we combine our exclusive Behavior Change Framework with adaptive technology and live concierge services to drive greater engagement and more lasting results than industry norms. Over 100 leading employers, partners, health plans and healthcare delivery organizations rely on RedBrick Health to measurably improve the health of their populations—while measurably improving their bottom line.

Visit RedBrick at RedBrickHealth.com, read more at the Health Innovation Blog, or follow the company on Twitter or LinkedIn.

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Cynthia Henry
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SOURCE RedBrick Health

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