Today's Topic: Interesting Statistics Regarding Unified Health Communication

Statistic #1, Health Literacy's Impact on Health Care Costs

In a study entitled Illiteracy Among Medicaid Recipients and Its Relationship to Health Care Costs, it is stated that the average annual health care costs for all Medicaid enrollees in one state were $3,000 per enrollee, but the annual cost for enrollees with limited literacy skills averaged $13,000.

That means that patients with limited health literacy are costing the health care system four times more than the average Medicaid enrollee.

A patient's health literacy affects his or her ability to:

-Navigate the health care system, including locating providers and services and filling out forms
-Share personal and health information with providers
-Actively participate in managing his/her health care, including asking questions about diagnoses, prescribed medications, and procedures
-Engage in self-care and chronic disease management
-Adopt health-promoting behaviors, such as exercising and eating a healthy diet
-Act on health-related news and announcements

Statistic #2, According to the American Medical Association, poor health literacy is “a stronger predictor of a person’s health than age, income, employment status, education level, and race”

As a physician, I'm concerned about health literacy with regard to a patient's understanding of health and treatment, a patient's ability to follow treatment instructions, my role in providing information, and medication safety.