VillageCare’s Rango: Digital Tools to Promote
Medication Adherence and Patient Engagement
Age
23
VILLAGECARE,
a New
York City
community-based, not-for-profit organization that serves
individuals with post-acute and chronic care needs, received
a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Health Care Innovation Award to develop Rango, a mobile
application and website that was found to be effective in
empowering individuals living with HIV to better manage
their condition. Program enrollment began in 2015, with the
pilot demonstration expiring in December 2017.
Overview of Platform
The Rango program addressed many challenges that HIV/AIDS
patients, providers, policymakers and other stakeholders
face by increasing patient activation, improving medication
compliance and reducing total cost of care for HIV positive
individuals. Rango Services include:
• Medication and appointment reminders;
• Virtual support groups facilitated by professionals;
• Engaging online community;
• Moderated discussion boards on a variety of health and
healthy living topics;
• Live chat and virtual Q&As with Health Coaches;
• Private messaging inbox;
• Text message and app notification broadcasts;
• Matching to a trained Peer Mentor;
• Article library with easy-to-understand explanations about
HIV/AIDS, common comorbidities, medications and other
information;
• RMDY digital therapeutics platform (personal health and
wellness tracking with guided interventions); and
• Healthify social services database.
All Medicare and/or Medicaid beneficiaries residing in New
York City who have been prescribed medications for HIV/AIDS
were eligible to participate in the program. Rango services
could be accessed from any computer or smartphone, with
many features made available via a standard cellular device.
These features are designed to be member-friendly and easily
accessible. The Rango platform is HIPAA-compliant, and all
data transmissions are encrypted.
User Demographics
There were approximately 4,400 members enrolled in Rango.
Of these enrollees, approximately 59 percent were male. The
age distribution of enrollees was:
Age Percentage of Enrollees
18-30 years
31-45 years
46-55 years
56-64 years
65+ years 6%
23%
41%
25%
5%
18-30 years
31-45 years
46-55 years
56-64 Activity
years
User
65+ years
Percentage of Enrollees
6%
23%
41%
25%
5%
Medication reminders were the most utilized
feature
for both the app and web browser
User Activity
Medication reminders
were
the most utilized
feature
for both the ap
platforms.
Utilization
information
for the
most
platforms. Utilization information for the most popular app and web
popular
app and web browser features among
enrollees is provided below:
enrollees is provided below:
App Feature
Medication Reminders
Q&A Messaging
Library Article
Post in the Forum
Web Browser Feature
Medication Reminders
Post in the Forum
Library Article
Q&A Messaging
Percentage of Enrollees
Utilizing
52%
38%
25%
20%
Percentage of Enrollees
Utilizing
46%
37%
33%
26%
Health Care Expenditures
Health Care Expenditures
A
2017 research
research
report
conducted
the
New
A 2017
report
conducted
by the by
New
York
University (NYU)
Analytics
Lab (HEAL) (NYU)
evaluated
the experience
of Rango
participants
York
University
Health
Evaluation
&
health expenditures
data for
HIV positive
Analytics
Lab (HEAL)
evaluated
the Medicaid-enrolled
experience individu
Rango in 2015 to HIV positive Medicaid-enrolled individuals not usin
of Rango participants and compared six-month
health
expenditures
data
for HIV positive
Overall health
care service
expenditures
increased for the Rango par
the comparison group, individuals
which experienced
decreases using
in expenditure
Medicaid-enrolled
who started
in overall monthly expenditures for the Rango participant group. Ho
Rango
in 2015 to HIV positive Medicaid-enrolled
specific health care service expenditures indicated a relative reducti
individuals
not and
using
the platform.
(decrease of 8%)
a relative
increase in visits to a primary care ph
Rango participants. Furthermore, there was a 6% increase in the rat
Overall
health care service expenditures
participants filled prescriptions for any of six selected HIV drug medi
increased
for the
Rango
participant
group the benefits of me
they began using
Rango,
which
may demonstrate
text messages
from
the program. group, which
relative
to the
comparison
experienced decreases in expenditures, with
a $251 increase (5 percent) in overall monthly
expenditures for the Rango participant group.
However, a closer look at specific health care
service expenditures indicated a relative
reduction in hospitalizations (decrease of 8
percent) and a relative increase in visits to a
primary care physician (increase of 3 percent)
for Rango participants. Furthermore, there
was a 6 percent increase in the rate at which
Rango participants filled prescriptions for any
of six selected HIV drug medications compared
to when they began using Rango, which may
demonstrate the benefits of medication
reminders and text messages from the program.
HIV Outcomes
Another research study conducted by VillageCare
evaluated the impact of Rango on viral load (VL)
suppression for HIV positive individuals enrolled
in the program. The study found that 94 percent
User Activity
Adviser
publication
of for
LeadingAge
New
| Fall 2018
Medication reminders
were the a most
utilized feature
both the app and
web York
browser
platforms. Utilization information for the most popular app and web browser features among