Health PromotionNCT04047342
Assessing the Impact of myHealth Rewards New Hire Enrollment Emails
An observational study of Health Promotion and Wellness Programs, run by Geisinger Clinic at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of the study is to evaluate, prospectively, the potential impact, on myHealth Rewards wellness program enrollment prior to the 2019 November submission deadline, of sending different messages via email to Geisinger Health Plan (GHP) members who have just been hired. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Health Promotion, Wellness Programs
- What is being tested?
- Welcome email and Loss frame
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- How many people
- 824 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 16 Jul 2019to 1 Jul 2020
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: The population consists of new Geisinger Health Plan members who are benefits subscribers.
Who may be able to join
- Any Geisinger new hire, regardless of benefits status, who started on or after July 1, 2019 and before November 30, 2019
Who cannot join
- Existing Geisinger employees hired prior to July 1, 2019
- New hires who do not have an email address on file
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Assessing the Impact of myHealth Rewards Program-related Communications on New Hire Enrollment
The purpose of the study is to evaluate, prospectively, the potential impact, on myHealth Rewards wellness program enrollment prior to the 2019 November submission deadline, of sending different messages via email to Geisinger Health Plan (GHP) members who have just been hired.
Read the detailed description
The myHealth Rewards wellness program managed by GHP rewards those GHP members who carry their insurance through employment at Geisinger with reduced health insurance premiums over the course of the following year, if members register for the program and have their health measures on file by the enrollment deadline and are then able to meet their health goals by the respective due date. In spite of the potential savings to health plan members and the wellness program's potential to motivate engagement in healthy activities (with consequent improvement in health outcomes), about 23% of eligible existing GHP members did not enroll during the primary 2019 enrollment period, even after receiving promotional email communications and reminders. Therefore, the current study was developed to test whether a revised version of a standard welcome email is more effective than the standard email in increasing myHealth Rewards login and enrollment rates. The standard welcome email is what would typically be sent by GHP to encourage enrollment among new hires; it mentions the benefits of enrollment (maintaining good health and saving money on insurance premiums), the average premium savings, the ease of the registration process, and the deadline for registering and having health measures on file, plus it provides registration steps and hyperlinks for registering and finding free health screenings where health measures can be collected and registered at one convenient time and location. The loss frame email recommends that GHP members not "throw away" a precise monetary amount in savings by not participating and that they can therefore avoid missing out on substantial gains (i.e., savings) by taking action. It is hypothesized that, on average, the loss frame email will increase enrollment compared with the standard email, among this population of new hires for whom this is only the second time that they have been informed about myHealth Rewards. Findings will help inform how best to increase enrollment in a wellness program among health plan members who are new to the system.
- Conditions
- Health Promotion, Wellness Programs
- Being tested
- Welcome email, Loss frame
- Keywords
- Prospect theory
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Welcome emailBehavioural
Email
Loss frameBehavioural
Also called Endowment effect
Email
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Standard welcome email | The standard welcome email mentions the benefits of enrollment (maintaining good health and saving money on insurance premiums), the average premium savings, the ease of the registration process, and the deadline for registering and having health measures on file, plus it provides registration steps and hyperlinks for registering and finding free health screenings where health measures can be collected and registered at one convenient time and location. Receives: Behavioral: Welcome email | |
| Loss frame email | The loss frame email recommends that GHP members not "throw away" a precise dollar amount in savings (over $2,000) by not participating and that they can therefore avoid missing out on substantial gains (i.e., savings) by taking action.
This intervention frames the status quo as a state from which recipients, via inaction, are slated to forfeit a sizable and precise monetary amount to which they should otherwise feel entitled (via loss aversion and the endowment effect). People tend to be risk-seeking in the domain of losses; therefore, this intervention is hypothesized to increase enrollment in the hope of achieving zero loss by meeting program goals, as opposed to a sure loss via inaction. Receives: Behavioral: Welcome email; Behavioral: Loss frame |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Number of People Enrolled Within 7 Days
Enrollment in the myHealth Rewards program (yes/no) within 7 full days of the beginning of the intervention for each cohort (i.e., when the emails are first sent within each weekly new hire cohort). Data will be aggregated across cohorts, including the July 16 cohort and every subsequent cohort through the week prior to reminder emails scheduled to be sent out in October, 2019.
Measured: 7 days
Number of People Who Logged in to the Program Within 7 Days
Logging into the myHealth Rewards program (yes/no) within 7 full days of the beginning of the intervention for each cohort (i.e., when the emails are first sent within each weekly new hire cohort). Data will be aggregated across cohorts, including the July 16 cohort and every subsequent cohort through the week prior to reminder emails scheduled to be sent out in October, 2019.
Measured: 7 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Aug 2019
- Study start16 Jul 2019
- Primary completion20 Dec 2019
- Study completion1 Jul 2020
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Health PromotionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 824 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Geisinger Clinic
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Amir Goren, PhD, Principal investigator, Geisinger Clinic
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04047342
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2019-0586
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 29 Jul 2019
- Last updated
- 17 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Data with no personally identifiable information will be made available to other researchers on the Open Science Framework for transparency. This will include the essential data and code needed to replicate the analysis that yielded reported findings. The PI did not examine or analyze any data from this study prior to this registration.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Assessing the Impact of myHealth Rewards Program-related Communications on New Hire Enrollment
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04047342
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2019-0586
- Conditions
- Health Promotion, Wellness Programs
- Keywords
- Prospect theory
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 824 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Geisinger ClinicUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 16 Jul 2019 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 20 Dec 2019 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Jul 2020 (actual)
- First posted
- 6 Aug 2019 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 7 Jan 2021
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate, prospectively, the potential impact, on myHealth Rewards wellness program enrollment prior to the 2019 November submission deadline, of sending different messages via email to Geisinger Health Plan (GHP) members who have just been hired.
Detailed description
The myHealth Rewards wellness program managed by GHP rewards those GHP members who carry their insurance through employment at Geisinger with reduced health insurance premiums over the course of the following year, if members register for the program and have their health measures on file by the enrollment deadline and are then able to meet their health goals by the respective due date. In spite of the potential savings to health plan members and the wellness program's potential to motivate engagement in healthy activities (with consequent improvement in health outcomes), about 23% of eligible existing GHP members did not enroll during the primary 2019 enrollment period, even after receiving promotional email communications and reminders. Therefore, the current study was developed to test whether a revised version of a standard welcome email is more effective than the standard email in increasing myHealth Rewards login and enrollment rates. The standard welcome email is what would typically be sent by GHP to encourage enrollment among new hires; it mentions the benefits of enrollment (maintaining good health and saving money on insurance premiums), the average premium savings, the ease of the registration process, and the deadline for registering and having health measures on file, plus it provides registration steps and hyperlinks for registering and finding free health screenings where health measures can be collected and registered at one convenient time and location. The loss frame email recommends that GHP members not "throw away" a precise monetary amount in savings by not participating and that they can therefore avoid missing out on substantial gains (i.e., savings) by taking action. It is hypothesized that, on average, the loss frame email will increase enrollment compared with the standard email, among this population of new hires for whom this is only the second time that they have been informed about myHealth Rewards. Findings will help inform how best to increase enrollment in a wellness program among health plan members who are new to the system.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Standard welcome email | – | Behavioral: Welcome emailThe standard welcome email mentions the benefits of enrollment (maintaining good health and saving money on insurance premiums), the average premium savings, the ease of the registration process, and the deadline for registering and having health measures on file, plus it provides registration steps and hyperlinks for registering and finding free health screenings where health measures can be collected and registered at one convenient time and location. |
| Loss frame email | – | Behavioral: Welcome email, Behavioral: Loss frameThe loss frame email recommends that GHP members not "throw away" a precise dollar amount in savings (over $2,000) by not participating and that they can therefore avoid missing out on substantial gains (i.e., savings) by taking action. This intervention frames the status quo as a state from which recipients, via inaction, are slated to forfeit a sizable and precise monetary amount to which they should otherwise feel entitled (via loss aversion and the endowment effect). People tend to be risk-seeking in the domain of losses; therefore, this intervention is hypothesized to increase enrollment in the hope of achieving zero loss by meeting program goals, as opposed to a sure loss via inaction. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The population consists of new Geisinger Health Plan members who are benefits subscribers.
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Any Geisinger new hire, regardless of benefits status, who started on or after July 1, 2019 and before November 30, 2019
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Existing Geisinger employees hired prior to July 1, 2019
- New hires who do not have an email address on file
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome emailEmail | Behavioural | Loss frame email, Standard welcome email |
| Loss frameAlso: Endowment effectEmail | Behavioural | Loss frame email |
Primary outcome
Number of People Enrolled Within 7 Days
Time frame: 7 days
Enrollment in the myHealth Rewards program (yes/no) within 7 full days of the beginning of the intervention for each cohort (i.e., when the emails are first sent within each weekly new hire cohort). Data will be aggregated across cohorts, including the July 16 cohort and every subsequent cohort through the week prior to reminder emails scheduled to be sent out in October, 2019.
Number of People Who Logged in to the Program Within 7 Days
Time frame: 7 days
Logging into the myHealth Rewards program (yes/no) within 7 full days of the beginning of the intervention for each cohort (i.e., when the emails are first sent within each weekly new hire cohort). Data will be aggregated across cohorts, including the July 16 cohort and every subsequent cohort through the week prior to reminder emails scheduled to be sent out in October, 2019.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Jul 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Data with no personally identifiable information will be made available to other researchers on the Open Science Framework for transparency. This will include the essential data and code needed to replicate the analysis that yielded reported findings. The PI did not examine or analyze any data from this study prior to this registration.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Amir Goren, PhD principal investigator
Geisinger Clinic
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Health Promotion and Wellness Programs, run by Geisinger Clinic at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 7 Jan 2021). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Number of People Enrolled Within 7 Days (time frame: 7 days). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Jul 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.