News and Insights

The Altarum Consumer Engagement (ACE) measure was used to calculate patient activation at both baseline and follow-up in a study examining the relationship between patient activation and Diabetes Prevention Program uptake and attendance.

More than 650,000 Michiganders with a mental illness and over 500,000 with a substance use disorder fail to receive any treatment for their conditions, according to a new study by Altarum, which examined access to behavioral health services in Michigan by payer type.

In order to gain a better understanding of gaps and barriers to behavioral health treatment, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund contracted with Altarum to study access across Michigan. 

According to data analyzed from the BLS American Time Use Survey, accessing professional health care services required on average 34 minutes of travel and 11 minutes of waiting, a burden that hasn’t changed over the past 11 years.

In this study, the commitment domain of the ACE Measure was used to identify the likelihood of successfully managing A1C in diabetes patients, as well as to identify patients who need additional support and clinic resources.

In response to this overwhelmingly high rate of opioid misuse and related deaths, the local Nord Family Foundation commissioned Altarum to further understand the nature of the problem and identify resources, needs, and potential solutions. Altarum implemented its three-phase approach to analyze current resources and determine where additional resources and services are needed.

This report presents the results of this study and the implications for state health insurance law and regulations, the health insurance system, and the contracting and billing practices of Title X-funded health centers. 

The ACE Measure™ is a tool designed to assess the health engagement levels of individuals and populations.