Lumetra Insights
March 2010
An article, “Raising Awareness of Medicare Member Rights Among Seniors and Caregivers in California,” by staff members Rebecca Olson, PhD, Ruth M. Grossman, BA, Patricia L. Fu, MPH, and Fabio Sabogal, PhD, was published in the January 2010 edition of the American Journal of Public Health.
A special study conducted by Lumetra Healthcare Solutions featured a multifaceted outreach program to increase beneficiary awareness of QIO services and of the right of beneficiaries to file quality-of-care complaints and discharge appeals. Layered outreach activities to Medicare members and their caregivers in two targeted counties (Fresno and Santa Cruz) consisted of paid media, direct mailings, community outreach, and online marketing. Calls to the QIO Helpline and visits to the Web site—measures of beneficiary awareness of case review services—increased by 106% and 1214%, respectively, in the targeted counties during the four-month outreach period. Only small increases occurred in nontargeted counties.