Effects of a telephone-based medical advice center on the use of the traditional health care system Markus Jochem, Dr. Susanne Klein, Thomas Nebling Techniker Krankenkasse, Hamburg, Germany EHMA Annual Conference 2008 – „The Politics of Health“
Feb 05, 2016
Effects of a telephone-based medical advice center on the use of the traditional health care system
Markus Jochem, Dr. Susanne Klein, Thomas NeblingTechniker Krankenkasse, Hamburg, Germany
EHMA Annual Conference 2008 – „The Politics of Health“
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Agenda
1 Introduction
2 TK´s medical advice center
3 Effects of using the medical advice center
4 Results and remaining questions
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…is the second biggest sickness fund in Germany
…was founded in 1884
…insures 6.3 million people
…has 10,500 employees
…has a budget of 18 bn EUR in 2008
…runs a telephone-based medical advice center since 2001
Techniker Krankenkasse (TK)...
1 Introduction Who is Techniker Krankenkasse (TK)?
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1 Introduction Why dealing with medical patient information?
Physician
Patient
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Agenda
1 Introduction
2 TK´s medical advice center
3 Effects of using the medical advice center
4 Results and remaining questions
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Service runs 24/7, even on weekends and public holidays
„Doctors only“-service – no information is given by anybody who is not a trained physician
90 doctors of nearly all specialisations
All of them are still working in hospitals or in a doctor´s practice
2 TK´s medical advice center Facts and figures
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More than 200,000 inbound calls per year
Average call lasts 12 minutes
TOP 5 most asked subjects: General medicine Dental care Paedriatics Orthopaedy Gynaecology
2 TK´s medical advice center Facts and figures
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Giving high quality information based on medical guidelines
Informing about proper ways of maintaining, recovering or improving health
Providing information, sources and data to avoid inappropriateness and inefficiency in medical treatment
But it´s only information no diagnosis, no instruction (prohibited by German law)
2 TK´s medical advice center Aims and limits
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Agenda
1 Introduction
2 TK´s medical advice center
3 Effects of using the medical advice center
4 Results and remaining questions
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6,000 users of the medical advice center were selected randomly
Four-page questionnaire
Key questions: What intention did you have when calling the medical advice center?
Did the use of the service have any effect on your planned use of the health care system?
Which advantages did the service provide for you?
Response quota: 53 %
3 Effects of using the medical advice centerCustomer research – Survey 2007
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I was looking for...
3 Effects of using the medical advice centerUsing the service: reason for calling
...informations on a disease 36.1 %
...help to make a decision 30.7 %
...a second opinion 28.3 %
...information about a therapy 19.8 %
...information about pharmaceuticals 12.8 %
...information about a surgery 9.7 %
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Did the information given by TK´s medical advice center differ from the information you got from your doctor?
3 Effects of using the medical advice centerUsing the service and its effects
Yes, completely 15.5 %
Yes, partially 34.6 %
No, not at all 39.4 %
Missing values: „I´m not in treatment“, „not sure“
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The information I got from the medical advice center...
3 Effects of using the medical advice centerUsing the service and its effects
...was easy to understand 88.3 %
...was helpul 77.3 %
...answered the questions I had satisfactory 72.2 %
...were new to me 47.4 %
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After speaking to TK´s medical advice center, I...
3 Effects of using the medical advice centerUsing the service and its indirect effects
...now know more about the subject in question 70.5 %
...can use the information I already had better 55.9 %
...was able to handle an illness better 41.5 %
...understand better, what my doctor does and why he does it 36.8 %
...I eat healthier, smoke less or exercise more 15.6 %
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After speaking to TK´s medical advice center, I changed my mind by...
3 Effects of using the medical advice centerUsing the service and its direct effects
...talking to my doctor again about my therapy 52.0 %
...visiting another doctor 24.3 %
...taking checks or treatments other than planned 20.9 %
...not buying or using pharmaceuticals 10.6 %
...I cancelled a planned visit to the doctor 8.2 %
...I cancelled a planned hospital stay 4.9 %
The information I got had effects on decisions I made 60.6 %
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Agenda
1 Introduction
2 TK´s medical advice center
3 Effects of using the medical advice center
4 Results and remaining questions
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With its telephone-based medical advice center, TK seems to be able to influence the use of the traditional health care system
The patient acknowledges the information given by the medical advice center as understandable and helpful – and possibly more helpful than the information he got from his doctor
With regard to the direct effects on the use of the health care system: are the decisions made by the patient after the phone call (always) correct?
If the informtion given in the doctor´s practice is estimated by the patient as being less appropriate and helpful, what can be done to enhance it?
4 Results and remaining questions
Thank you for your attention!
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