SUPPLEMENT
Expanding access to nicotine replacement therapy through Minnesotas QUITLINE partnership
1 ClearWay Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
3 Professional Data Analysts, Inc, Minneapolis, MN, USA
2 University of Minnesota, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Correspondence to:
Barbara A Schillo, ClearWay Minnesota, Two Appletree Square, Suite 400, 8011 34th Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55425, USA; bschillo{at}clearwaymn.org
Background: Partnerships can expand the reach and effectiveness of quitlines while conserving limited tobacco control dollars.
Objective: To describe how the addition of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to the "QUITPLAN Helpline" in Minnesota influenced triage and transfer to health plan quitlines and how efforts taken to re-establish balance in the partnership expanded population based access to NRT.
Methods: NRT provision began in September 2002. Call volumes, transfer rates and ClearWay Minnesota dollars spent serving health plan members were examined from May 2001 through November 2005. The process by which health plan quitlines began providing NRT as a result of the addition of NRT to the QUITPLAN Helpline in September 2002 was explored through interviews with health plan representatives.
Results: Following the addition of NRT to the QUITPLAN Helpline, the percentage of health plan members transferred to their health plans decreased because callers were resisting transfer to their health plans for telephone counselling that did not include NRT. Transfer rates eventually returned to pre-NRT levels following sequential implementation of scripting changes, transfer requirements and collection of health plan identification numbers. These changes reduced ClearWay Minnesota dollars spent on providing services to insured Minnesotans. Through the partnership, all Minnesotans currently have access to both telephone counselling and NRT either at no or low cost.
Conclusions: Minnesotas partnership has effectively expanded access to NRT through quitlines. The increased use of partnerships for providing quitline services may be effective in broadening population access while conserving limited tobacco control dollars for those without cessation benefits.
Abbreviations: NRT, nicotine replacement therapy
Keywords: nicotine replacement therapy; quitlines; United States
![]()
CiteULike
Complore
Connotea
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Chan, S. S. C., Wong, D. C. N., Fong, D. Y. T., Leung, A. Y. M., Mak, Y.-W., Lam, D. O. B., Lam, T.-H.
(2009). Short-term impact of new smoke-free legislation on the utilization of a quitline in Hong Kong. Nicotine Tob Res
0: ntp025v1-ntp025
[Abstract] [Full Text] -
An, L. C., Bluhm, J. H., Foldes, S. S., Alesci, N. L., Klatt, C. M., Center, B. A., Nersesian, W. S., Larson, M. E., Ahluwalia, J. S., Manley, M. W.
(2008). A Randomized Trial of a Pay-for-Performance Program Targeting Clinician Referral to a State Tobacco Quitline. Arch Intern Med
168: 1993-1999
[Abstract] [Full Text] -
Lichtenstein, E.
(2007). Quitlines. Tobacco Control
16: i1-i2
[Full Text]
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
