People from all walks of life call a nurse line for a wide variety of reasons. So how do you know if a nurse line is right for your member population? Health Dialog has a diverse member base calling our 24/7 Nurse Advice Line and we recently analyzed our book of business data to see what the typical caller looks like.* This analysis demonstrates who could benefit from a nurse line.
With the high and often unknown cost of seeking medical care, members may be calling for advice on what to do before deciding between making a doctor’s appointment, visiting an urgent care or going to the emergency room. Offering a nurse line along with a high-deductible health plan could be an optimal way of controlling healthcare costs, while ensuring your members are informed about their healthcare and receive the attention they need.
Similarly, we also found that the vast majority of our Nurse Advice Line calls come from middle-class and low-income households, at 82%. With more disposable income, wealthier people may not have as many concerns about copays or meeting large deductibles. Lower-income members could be utilizing this service to evaluate if spending their hard-earned money is really a necessity.
There were slightly more calls from urban areas, which could suggest members struggle with access to reliable transportation. If your health plan offers rides through a third-party service or provides a telemedicine vendor as a resource, our Nurse Advice Line could connect them seamlessly. Providing extra support can help fill gaps that your population may be experiencing.
Women are often the caregivers for families, taking on the responsibility of others’ healthcare needs. So it is not surprising that roughly 65% of Health Dialog’s Nurse Advice Line callers are women. Roughly 59% of women report being the caregiver for someone and that number increases to 95% among working mothers. Offering a nurse line can help caregivers effectively meet the needs of their loved ones.
Despite who is calling in, a nurse line can help members make the best decision for their healthcare needs. This in turn can help health plans, at-risk providers, employers and other healthcare organizations ensure the appropriate use of benefits and resources and reduce the overall cost of managing a population.
* Data has been normalized across Medicare, Medicaid and Commercial populations.