• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

AHIP Board Adopts Health Literacy Program

Posted on: Wednesday, 13 July 2005, 15:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- At its recent meeting, the Board of Directors of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) adopted recommendations to improve health literacy as part of its work with the Partnership for Clear Health Communication. "Health literacy" is the ability to read, understand and act on medical instructions and information. In the U.S., it is a stronger predictor of health status than age, income, employment, education, race or ethnicity. Low health literacy affects individual health status, and the cost and quality of health care.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040830/AHIPLOGO )

The Partnership is a coalition of groups and individuals that works to promote adoption of principles of clearer health communication. Such principles include writing that is at a 6th grade level. Clearer health communication is the most promising avenue to address the problems associated with low health literacy. AHIP is an active member of the Partnership.

"There has now been established an unmistakable link between a patient's overall health and the ability to understand and act on medical instructions and health information. Addressing the link between health literacy and health outcomes challenges all of us to engage patients with good, clear information," said AHIP President and CEO Karen Ignagni.

The Partnership aims to: * Expand awareness and educate patients and providers about low health literacy; * Develop and apply practical solutions to improve patient/provider communication and motivate all sectors of the health care system to adopt them; * Advocate for increased support for health literacy policy and funding; and * Conduct research to define the health literacy issue and evaluate solutions.

The Partnership has developed tools that can be used across the health care community, such as a brochure/campaign called "Ask Me 3" that encourages patients to ask on every visit with a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist, three basic questions to better understand their health. The Partnership developed this campaign because improving communication at the patient/provider level offers the greatest potential for affecting a patient's ability to understand and act appropriately on medical instructions and information, and many patients are reluctant to ask for this kind of basic information.

The AHIP Board has asked staff to identify training and tools needed by member companies to incorporate "principles of clear health communication" into company materials. AHIP will work with the Partnership to identify training and resources to meet these needs. The Board endorsed the concepts behind the Partnership's campaign that encourages patients to become active participants in their own health and elicit information needed to act appropriately on medical instructions and information.

Providing Health Benefits to More Than 200 Million Americans

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040830/AHIPLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com

America's Health Insurance Plans

CONTACT: Susan Pisano of America's Health Insurance Plans,+1-202-778-3245

Web site: http://www.ahip.org/

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category