Research from University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Reveals New Findings on Managed Care (Association of intervention fidelity and outcomes in implementation of the Thrive transitional care program for Medicaid-insured individuals): Managed Care

2026 JUL 14 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Researchers detail new data in Managed Care. According to news reporting out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Intervention fidelity specifies core components and measures adherence. Thrive, an evidence-based transitional care program providing 30-day post-discharge support to Medicaid-insured individuals, was evaluated for intervention fidelity.”

Financial support for this research came from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, “To (1) evaluate the coverage, content, dose, and overall adherence to Thrive, and (2) examine associations between fidelity and 30-day post-discharge utilization. We evaluated Thrive’s intervention fidelity from 2023 to 2025 within four hospitals in an urban health system. Fidelity measures developed using expert consensus included content (9 components), dose (up to 4 weeks), overall adherence, and coverage. High fidelity was defined as receiving 80% of all components. Logistic regression models adjusted for patient characteristics and hospital examined fidelity and 30-day post-discharge utilization (primary care, specialty care, readmissions, emergency department (ED) visits). Of 1,301 referred patients, 709 received Thrive services (55% coverage); 75.9% achieved high fidelity. Average content score was 7.6, and 78.8% received 4 weeks of Thrive. In adjusted models, higher content was associated with higher odds of primary care (odds ratio [OR] = 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-1.54; p< .01) and lower odds of ED visits (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.64-0.99; p< .05). Receiving 4 weeks of Thrive was associated with higher odds of primary care (OR = 1.79; 95% CI: 1.21-2.65; p< .01), specialty care (OR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.06-2.31; p< .05), and lower odds of readmissions (OR = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.33-0.86; p< .05). Thrive achieved high intervention fidelity. Patients receiving all 4 weeks of Thrive experienced increased primary and specialty care engagement and fewer readmissions. Routine intervention fidelity assessments of complex, multi-component interventions can reinforce protocols, promoting equitable participation and outcomes.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05714605; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05714605 and ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06203509; https://clinicaltrials.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Association of intervention fidelity and outcomes in implementation of the Thrive transitional care program for Medicaid-insured individuals. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 2026. Journal of Hospital Medicine can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Journal of Hospital Medicine - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1553-5606)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Jennifer Henderson, Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Heather Brom, Amanda P. Bettencourt, Erin Babe and J. Margo Brooks Carthon.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1002/jhm.70388. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the Journal of Hospital Medicine is: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA.

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