Five Questions With: Janice Prochaska

Janice M. Prochaska, president and CEO of Pro-Change Behavior Systems Inc. / COURTESY PRO-CHANGE BEHAVIOR SYSTEMS INC.
Janice M. Prochaska, president and CEO of Pro-Change Behavior Systems Inc. / COURTESY PRO-CHANGE BEHAVIOR SYSTEMS INC.

Janice M. Prochaska, president and CEO of Pro-Change Behavior Systems Inc., talked with Providence Business News recently about the company’s partnership with GetWellNetwork, and its Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change programs.

PBN: Tell me about how Pro-Change got started. What is the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change?

PROCHASKA: Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc., founded by James O. Prochaska, PhD in 1997, developer of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change, is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise. Pro-Change’s mission is to help wellness partners enhance the well-being of individuals and organizations through the scientific development and dissemination of behavior change programs based on leading theories of behavior change, especially the Transtheoretical Model.

Pro-Change is the leading research and development company for computer-and coaching-based programs to reduce health risks. Based on the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (also known as stages of change), Pro-Change’s programs are for entire populations and are uniquely tailored to each individual. Pro-Change’s programs have produced unprecedented impacts on multiple behaviors to enhance health and well-being and reduce health care costs.

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The Transtheoretical Model uses the stages of change to integrate the most powerful principles and processes of change from leading theories of counseling and behavior change. It is based on principles developed from over 35 years of scientific research, intervention development and scores of empirical studies. It is used by professionals around the world.

Unlike most behavior change theories, which help those ready to take action (usually 20 percent), the Transtheoretical Model helps a whole population – those not ready (precontemplation), those getting ready (contemplation), those ready (preparation) to move to action (doing the healthy behavior) and maintenance (continuing to do the healthy behavior).

PBN: How did the partnership with GetWellNetwork form, and what do you hope to accomplish?

PROCHASKA: GetWellNetwork (GWN) became aware of Pro-Change’s evidence-based award-winning health behavior change programs through a mutual partner – Kramer StayWell. Also, Governor Gina Raimondo knows the CEO of GWN and put in a good word for Pro-Change!

Together GWN and Pro-Change will create a powerful solution to engage hospital patients and their families in the behavior change process to improve health outcomes and reduce rehospitalization.

PBN: Is it difficult to change behavior?

PROCHASKA: It is difficult to change behavior if a person is being pushed or coerced to do so. Pro-Change programs respect people wherever they are at in the change process – not ready, getting ready, ready – and work with that. People are guided to progress to taking effective action one stage at a time. This approach reduces reactance, increases confidence and teaches people skills on how to change.

PBN: How many companies do you work with a year?

PROCHASKA: We work with wellness partners (not specific companies) who license our programs and distribute them to companies, universities, insurers, government, accountable care organizations and non-profits.

We work with over 20 wellness partners a year including Healthways, Quality Health Solutions, Medscape, Standford, Cooper Consulting Partners, Healthstat, Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Care New England and YMCA-RI.

PBN: How does your digital coaching process work, and can you also tell me about some of the science breakthroughs that the company has made?

PROCHASKA: Pro-Change programs match change principles and strategies to each person’s stage of change and guide individuals through the change process.

This internationally recognized approach to health promotion and well-being begins with assessments of participants to determine each one’s stage of change, pros and cons of changing, confidence level to do the change and processes of change being used. The approach then uses expert guides tailored to help people progress from one stage to the next until they are taking meaningful action.

Over 20,000 tailored messages can be generated in a variety of formats including stage-based manuals, individualized progress reports and computerized tailored interventions built with responsive design so that tablet and smart phone access is easy. As participants move through the stages of change, their progress is assessed. They receive encouraging feedback on how they are doing and what steps they can take next to keep progressing. These low cost interventions provide expert guidance tailored to the needs of each individual while working with entire populations and have been proved to be at least as effective as more costly counseling interventions. Tailored text messaging is an adjunct offering and has increased engagement and effectiveness of the Pro-Change Programs.

Other Transtheoretical Model breakthroughs include:

  • A clinical dashboard that provides evidence-based stage matched behavior change messages for clinicians to deliver to patients.
  • Improvements in well-being resulting in increased productivity.
  • Synergistic insight into how changing one behavior increases the chance of changing other behaviors (coaction).

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