Patient Activation Measure® (PAM®) Survey
The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) was created to identify which patients may need additional resources to manage their health. The PAM is a validated patient-reported outcome measure owned by Insignia Health, a Phreesia company. It consists of 10- or 13-survey items that assess three (3) key areas related to managing one’s own health and healthcare: knowledge, skills and confidence. It can be administered in a variety of mediums and is available in over 35 languages. Additionally, the assessment takes between 2-5 minutes to complete.
The PAM score is calculated by a proprietary survey scoring algorithm, which produces an interval-level scale from 0-100 that correlates to one of four levels of patient activation including: disengaged & overwhelmed, becoming aware but still struggling, taking action & gaining control or maintaining behaviors & pushing further. A lower patient activation score indicates a patient who is less active in managing their health, whereas a higher patient activation score indicates a patient who is more active in managing their health.
The PAM survey is rooted in science and research. There are hundreds of peer-reviewed studies worldwide that have demonstrated the survey’s ability to measure activation, and subsequently predict a broad range of health-related behaviors and outcomes. Overall, the PAM tool is a valid and reliable way to measure activation. There are three (3) things to consider before using the PAM survey:
- Licensing Requirements: The tool requires a license to use and has three licensing options. It is important to review and understand the nuances associated with the license contract.
- IT/Technical Burden: The scoring algorithm is proprietary and in order to score the survey, you must enter the patients answer via the PAM portal – which requires either manual entry or an API build. In addition to this, there likely would be IT resources needed for ongoing maintenance of PAM.
- Infrastructure: Analyzing the PAM score provides guidance for aligning resources, with an emphasis on assisting individuals with lower activation scores. To maximize the value of this tool, organizations need the infrastructure, ability to execute on the insights and guidance the tool renders. The company does offer products designed to assist with the utilization of PAM data.
Licensing and Cost
The PAM tool does require a license to utilize. There are three license types: Standard Commercial, Limited Commercial, and Research, each with their own pricing structure.
To learn more about the PAM, please visit their website: www.insigniahealth.com/products/pam.
Sources | Insignia Health Products – PAM | Insignia Health Products – CFA | Insignia Health Acquired by Phreesia | Medical Group Management Association – Building Patient Activation for Value-Based Models of Care | What is the Patient Activation Measure in Patient-Centered Care?
