What UnitedHealth is doing to tackle low health literacy

Imagine traveling to a country where you don’t speak the language. Stephen RushPicture trying to find the right train to take you to your destination and not being able to read the signs at the station or ask anyone for directions. For many Americans, this is similar to their experience interacting with the healthcare system.

In the United States, more than 90 million adults have low health literacy or difficulty understanding and using their health information. The Department of Health and Human Services defines health literacy as the degree to which one has the ability to obtain, communicate, process and understand basic health information and services in order to make appropriate health decisions. Low rates of healthcare literacy are linked to poor outcomes, including higher rates of re-hospitalization and lower adherence to medical regimens.

Health literacy involves more than being able to read; it also includes basic math--such as figuring out medication dosages or calculating weight--and the ability to follow written and spoken directions, such as how often to take a medication. It also involves memory and the ability to make complex decisions.

[More:]

As the health system has evolved in the last few years, Americans are bearing greater responsibility than ever for their personal and family health decisions. Consumers' ability to select an appropriate health plan is paramount to meeting their specific needs, yet four in 10 uninsured people do not know basic health insurance terms. Only about one in 10, at best, can effectively manage their healthcare.

Low health literacy is costing the U.S. health system approximately $238 billion each year. That’s money that could be used much more effectively to modernize and improve the healthcare system for everyone.

The recently observed International Health Literacy Awareness Month reminded us that poor health literacy doesn’t only affect consumers--it touches the entire health community, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, hospitals and clinics, health plans and government health programs.

Without information that makes sense to them, people often have difficulty accessing high-quality, safe, cost-effective healthcare.

At UnitedHealth Group, we’re taking action to improve health literacy nationwide. We’ve created tools and programs to help consumers at every stage of life better understand their health, more easily navigate their health benefits and adhere to treatments prescribed by their care providers.

We focus on using tools to help empower consumers, employers and payers better understand health information. These include UnitedHealth Group’s Just Plain Clear English-Spanish Glossary. Taking into account the diversity of the U.S. and the lower health literacy in Hispanic communities, it features an online glossary that makes key health terms easier to understand for both English and Spanish speakers.

Our results have demonstrated the high demand for such literacy tools. When first launched in 2013, the glossary website had 8,100 unique visitors. That number grew to 22,600 in 2014 and ballooned to more than 50,000 visitors from 73 countries so far in 2015.

Consumers are receptive to the clear language used in the glossary. The glossary helps individuals understand healthcare terms and also empowers them to use this information to make better health decisions for themselves and their families. Making health care jargon simple and clear is an important step toward removing barriers to accessing healthcare, which ultimately leads to better health.

Math is another key component of health literacy as it helps individuals understand the eventual out-of-pocket costs of care. Among the more economically developed nations, the United States ranks third from the bottom of 24 countries when it comes to numerical literacy, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

UnitedHealth Group addresses this issue with online and mobile resources that enable all consumers to comparison shop for medical services. Health4Me, for example, provides access to quality and cost information for more than 750 common medical services. This mobile application is available at no charge on iPhone and Android devices.

A UnitedHealthcare study found that consumers using these resources are more likely than nonusers to select high-quality healthcare providers. Their selections included all specialties, including primary care (7 percent more likely) and orthopedics (9 percent more likely). In addition, users of these resources who looked up their costs before receiving treatment paid 30 percent less on average than non-users.

From using less jargon and shorter sentences to providing information on cost and quality, we take consumers from comprehension to action to help them take greater control of their health. Consumers and healthcare professionals should challenge themselves to think about and improve their own health literacy. Only by working together to improve how we communicate about health will Americans be empowered to make better, more informed decisions that can improve their health and well-being.

Steven Rush is the director of the Health Literacy Innovations Program at UnitedHealth Group