Getting the Timing Right

While this sounds simple and obvious, it is not that easy to do. First, you may not know when people need the information. Second, it may be difficult to have the information available when (and where) people need it.

This section suggests some ways of addressing these obstacles. Select links below for recommendation of what to do when:

• You Can Anticipate the Need.
• You Can't Predict the Need.

However, whether or not you can predict your audience's needs, it is critical to take a long-term perspective by distributing timely information at regular intervals. Social marketing research indicates that repetition can facilitate learning and lead to the development of a favorable response. Also, as people become accustomed to seeing the information, they often perceive it as being more important. Over time, they should know to seek it out when they need it.

You Can Anticipate the Need

People make health care-related decisions all the time. But for many insured individuals, the one decision that happens at regular intervals is the choice of a health plan. For instance:

• Consumers who get coverage through their employers go through a period each year known as "open enrollment," during which they can compare their options (if any) and choose to enroll in an insurance plan for the coming year. This period often takes place in the fall for an enrollment year that begins in January, but it could occur at any time.
• Some States designate a specific time each year when existing Medicaid beneficiaries can change health plans. For a subset of people who move on and off of the rolls during the year, their need for information may not coincide with the scheduled enrollment period. However, because this is a needs-based program, there is always paperwork associated with their enrollment; this presents an opportunity for providing beneficiaries with quality information.
• Everyone eligible for Medicare can enroll on their 65th birthday, so at least their initial need for information can be anticipated. Starting in 2001, Medicare beneficiaries also participate in an open enrollment process each fall.

In situations where the need is predictable, sponsors can time their report so that it arrives as close to the decision point as possible. The problem with being too early is that people are likely to put the information aside and then forget they have it. Many sponsors handle this issue by providing information on health plan quality at the same time as information on health plan costs and benefits. This helps the audience see how information on quality fits with the other factors they care about, and how it can be useful to them.

That said, it is not yet clear whether and how health care quality information should be incorporated into a larger packet of enrollment materials. Some sponsors believe that integrating the information reinforces the importance of quality to the consumer's decision. Others fear that, given so much material to look at, consumers may miss the message if the report on quality doesn't stand out in some way. This is a question that requires further testing with consumers. A related concern is that people may not look at any enrollment materials if the re-enrollment process is automatic (i.e., if consumers do not have to take any action to re-enroll in their current plans).

You Can't Predict the Need

What can you do when you don't know when consumers will need to make a decision? With the exception of the health plan enrollment process, consumers may interact with various components of the health care system at any time. For example, many people are free to select or change their personal providers at any time. If you are providing performance information about clinics or provider systems, how can you make sure that people have the data when they need it?

Moreover, not everyone chooses their health plan at the same time. Like private employers, some public programs allow beneficiaries to change plans at a prescribed time each year. But more often, the decision point is unpredictable.

In that kind of situation, the best sponsors can do is to make sure that the information on quality is available whenever and wherever consumers are likely to use it. The following three strategies can help you achieve this objective:

• Flood the Market.
• Target Specific, Trusted Information Sources.
• Make Sure They Know How to Use the Information When They Need It.

Flood the Market

One option is to try to place promotional materials or even the quality information itself everywhere your audience may see it, such as physicians' offices, clinic waiting rooms, libraries, corporate human resources offices, community centers, and senior centers. The idea behind this approach is to keep the information in front of consumers so that they can't miss it when they need it.

The problem with being so thorough is that flooding the market can be expensive and hard to maintain. However, one way to get around this problem is to make the information available through existing Web sites that present related information that consumers are likely to see.

Target Specific, Trusted Information Sources

An alternative to comprehensive coverage is to be selective about where you focus your efforts. While you cannot predict when consumers will need information, you can probably guess who is most likely to need it and where they are most likely to look for guidance. Focus your efforts on those information sources by equipping them with whatever they need to deliver your reports to your audience as well as any documentation or other kinds of support (such as training) that will enable them to answer questions they're likely to hear. For instance, an agency that develops information for Medicare beneficiaries relies on people who work with seniors on a day-to-day basis to distribute its materials.

Make Sure They Know How to Use the Information When They Need It

Since people may not have any use for quality information when they first receive it, what can you do to ensure that they hold onto it and know how to use it when they do need it? To address this problem, one organization that works with Medicaid recipients conducted workshops to explain how to use a handbook that included resource information and tools like sample letters and conversations that consumers could model. In these meetings, the group showed people how the information could help them improve their situations with respect to health care and deal with problems. In a subsequent evaluation, the group found that after both 3 months and 6 months, people still had the materials, had used them, and had shared them with others.