Unique Collaboration Results in Support of Healthy Days Tool as Effective Way to Measure Health

Researchers from Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) have partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Columbia University School of Nursing and Mailman School of Public Health to support the Healthy Days survey as a simple yet effective tool in measuring population health.

Healthy Days is a four-question survey developed and validated by the CDC. It asks people how they perceive their recent health and how many days over the previous month they felt physically or mentally unwell.

Humana, the RWJF, the CDC, Columbia University School of Nursing, and Mailman School of Public Health, reviewed existing literature and found the measures in the self-reported Healthy Days survey were clearly associated with chronic conditions. Their findings were published Friday, April 1, in the journal Population Health Management in a peer-reviewed study entitled “Leveraging Health-Related Quality of Life in Population Health Management: The Case for Healthy Days.”

“Traditional health measurements rely on data about morbidity and mortality and cost,” said Matthew Zack, MD, MPH, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and one of the authors. “But those metrics don’t always capture how individuals feel about their own health and well-being. The Healthy Days instrument captures that.”

Humana is using the Healthy Days tool to measure progress toward its bold goal, in which it seeks to work within communities to improve health 20 percent by 2020 by making health easier to achieve. Now, Humana is collaborating with thought leaders in population health to promote the use of Healthy Days nationwide.

A broad impact on American health

As U.S. health care costs continue to rise faster than inflation, it’s important to know if projects to improve the health of large populations are working. Because Healthy Days captures broad dimensions of health from an individual’s perspective, it is one important way to measure the health and well-being of an entire population over time.

“Healthy Days could and should be used more broadly,” said co-author Laura Happe, PharmD, MPH. “We believe it could help federal, state, and local governments better understand the needs of their communities and help them identify vulnerable subpopulations.”

The report suggests how groups can implement the Healthy Days tool and describes best practices for using the measurement tool in future research. For example, local leaders and policymakers may find Healthy Days useful in predicting the needs and use of health care in a community. Many groups are already using the Healthy Days measures, including the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CDC’s involvement does not imply endorsement of Humana or any other partner or their products and services, or Humana’s use of the tool.

The health care system is shifting toward making payments based on value or quality of service, and individuals’ perceptions of their health are a critical element of defining value. The Healthy Days measure can help determine the value that people are getting from their health care and inform community efforts to improve health and well-being.

About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health and well-being company focused on making it easy for people to achieve their best health with clinical excellence through coordinated care. The company’s strategy integrates care delivery, the member experience, and clinical and consumer insights to encourage engagement, behavior change, proactive clinical outreach and wellness for the millions of people we serve across the country.

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
  • Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls
  • Calendar of events
  • Corporate Governance information

Contacts:

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

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