Phone calls and mailings to help older adults with osteoarthritis join exercise programs
Tests outreach to get older adults with osteoarthritis using SilverSneakers exercise programs.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
- Where
- Hershey, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Activating SilverSneakers Benefits for Seniors With Osteoarthritis
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 1,454 people, planned
- Started
- 21 Jan 2026
- Expected to end
- Jul 2028
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets no study treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Proactive Care
- Record updated
- 10 February 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults aged 65 and older with hip, knee or general osteoarthritis. They must have a Humana Medicare Advantage plan with free SilverSneakers access but must never have used SilverSneakers.
- Age
- 65 years and older
- Sex
- All sexes can join
- Disease stage
- A recorded diagnosis (ICD-9 or ICD-10 code) of hip, knee, or general osteoarthritis. Hip and/or knee pain from the osteoarthritis/arthritis, as reported by the person.
- Earlier treatment
- Cannot be enrolled in SilverSneakers now or in the past. Must have been in a Humana Medicare Advantage plan for at least one year without a break. The plan must give free SilverSneakers access and cover both medical care and prescription drugs.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Someone else in the same household is in the study
- Having both Medicare and Medicaid
- Receiving hospice care or long-term institutional care
- A dementia diagnosis, or unable to understand the consent form
- No valid mailing address in the Humana records
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 12 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Aged 65 and older
- ICD-9 or ICD-10 code for hip, knee, or general osteoarthritis
- Positive response to a standardized question from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey that asks if patient was diagnosed with osteoarthritis/arthritis and self-report confirmation of hip and/or knee pain due to their osteoarthritis/arthritis
- Continuous enrollment for at least one year in a Humana Medicare Advantage plan which provides free SilverSneakers access and both medical and prescription drug coverage
- Not currently or previously enrolled in SilverSneakers
- Speak English or Spanish
- Physical/mental capacity to provide informed consent, based on not having an ICD-9 or ICD-10 code for dementia and being able to answer three questions to verify comprehension of the informed consent form
Who cannot take part
- Receiving hospice care or under long-term institutional care (Part C) due to limited data accessibility for this group
- Receiving care from a provider credentialed through a delegated arrangement (i.e., delegated provider), due to limited data accessibility for this group
- Another person in the same household is enrolling/enrolled in the study (to prevent treatment contamination, only one participant per household can participate)
- Medicare/Medicaid dual enrollment due to limited data accessibility for this group
- Lack of a valid mailing address in the Humana medical claims databases
Where in United States
- Penn State College of MedicineHershey, United StatesContact: Liza S. Rovniak, PhD, MPHTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
The aim of this pragmatic randomized controlled trial is to test the effects of a brief proactive care intervention involving mailed material and two phone calls on: (1) increasing participation in SilverSneakers exercise programs among older adults with osteoarthritis; (2) improving physical, social and psychological outcomes identified as important to older adults with osteoarthritis; and (3) reducing costly osteoarthritis-related health service use. Approximately 1,454 older adults with osteoarthritis who have SilverSneakers access through their Medicare Advantage plan, but no prior SilverSneakers use, will be recruited to participate across the United States. Key outcome measures will be assessed over a two-year follow-up period.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Proactive CareOther group
The Proactive Care condition will consist of one mailing to alert older adults to the existence of their SilverSneakers benefit, followed by two action-planning phone calls to prompt activation and use of the SilverSneakers exercise benefit. The action-planning calls will guide older adults through an action plan to enroll in SilverSneakers, and choose convenient joint-friendly SilverSneakers exercise options appropriate for their fitness level. Exercise options are available both in-person and online. Older adults will also be given the option to have an information sheet about SilverSneakers sent to their primary care providers to encourage further discussion about SilverSneakers.
- Usual CareNo study treatment, for comparison
The Usual Care condition will include the standard information provided to Medicare Advantage beneficiaries about SilverSneakers.
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Activating SilverSneakers Benefits for Seniors With Osteoarthritis: Proactive Versus Usual Care
- Plain-language title
- Phone calls and mailings to help older adults with osteoarthritis join exercise programsGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 14 November 2026.
- Record updated
- 10 February 2026