This research presents a process for influencing assimilation gaps in healthcare platforms, establishing a methodology that extends the quantifiable practice of traditional assimilation gaps, to multi-level assimilation gaps.
Measurement techniques for successful healthcare platform programs are constrained due to data limitations. Building on existing assimilation gap research and designing artifacts that include nudging techniques, this study identifies concepts that display assimilation gap narrowing methods that improve healthcare platform design. Using elaborated action design research (EADR), each artifact design cycle follows a process map to improve adoption and use. The research discovers how adoptable a healthcare platform (CareValet) is within a rural population, which strategies most promote adoption, and what strategies might best support use improvement.
In this study, platform adoption is compared as the relative value against each use metric for key stakeholders including consumers (e.g., health plan members), clients (e.g., employer or health plan), and platform developers. Research contributions include the development of assimilation gap narrowing methods and return on investment (ROI) value graphing tools associated with platform use.
In this dissertation, I studied a rural South Georgia county government health plan. This group was specifically chosen because of the amplified effect the cost of healthcare was having in this region of the United States. This county has the highest healthcare cost in the U.S. on par with Vail, Colorado, one of the most expensive places to receive healthcare in the U.S. The disparity is that Vail is one of the most affluent communities in the US and rural South Georgia is one of the lowest income areas in the U.S. By introducing a mobile healthcare platform in the form of a mobile application to the population, this study presented an overall goal to reduce healthcare costs by using techniques to guide these consumers to more efficient healthcare practices and lower cost care options.
Authors: Joseph Hodges
Link: https://doi.org/10.28945/4604
Cite as: Hodges, J. (2020). Introducing a mobile health care platform in an underserved rural population: Reducing assimilations gaps on adoption and use via nudges. Muma Business Review 4(14). 135-138. https://doi.org/10.28945/4604