High-Need, High-Cost Personas

Authors
Tanya Shah
Meredith Brown
Becky Reed
Jason Hessing
Christina Maldonado
Implementation Tool
February 2019

This resource offers a variety of materials about “personas” for different segments of the high-need patient population.

  • A persona helps depict the experiences, motivations, and goals of a group of patients, as well as the barriers they face. Ultimately, the personas can suggest practical guidance on improving care and lowering costs.
  • The Commonwealth Fund partnered with Healthwise, a health care nonprofit, to develop these personas. The team interviewed dozens of individuals with complex needs about their experiences.
  • The personas in this project describe older adults living with multiple conditions, frailty, and advancing illness as well as those under 65 living with disabilities. There are also personas for paid and unpaid caregivers for high-need patients.
  • This website offers an in-depth overview of different personas, along with video narratives from a real patient or caregiver who has lived the experience.
Posted to The Playbook on
Level of Evidence
Expert Opinion
What does this mean?