The focus on improving health plan member engagement and overall
experience has been steadily growing over the years, much of it being driven by
the push towards a more consumer-friendly healthcare experience. James Beem,
Managing Director, Global Healthcare Intelligence at J.D. Power, states, “health
plans are doing a good job managing the operational aspects of their
businesses, but they are having a harder time addressing the expectations
members have based on their experiences in other industries where their service
needs are more effectively addressed with better technology.” His remarks are
based off of findings from the annual Commercial
Member Health Plan Study, which also found that care coordination between
different providers and care settings is a top challenge health plans are
facing today.
Most of our conversations with health plan prospects and
customers revolve around how digital technology can improve health plan member
engagement and close gaps in care. From our experience, here are five key
digital strategies that health plans can employ to better engage members and
improve satisfaction.
Call centers remain a cornerstone of member engagement. From onboarding
new members to closing gaps in care, the call center is where the rubber meets
the road between health plans and their members. At Experian Health, we focus
on making it easier for call center agents to find and book appointments on
behalf of members – specifically, we eliminate the need for three-way calls
with providers by giving agents access to a digital scheduling platform. It
automates providers’ scheduling rules, while also protecting their calendars,
and allows health plans to schedule appointments for members without having to
call the provider office. In some cases, once our platform is in place, we’ve seen
scheduling rates increase by 140%, call times cut in half, and show rates go
up.
A large factor in social
determinants of health is the availability of transportation
– are your members physically able to make it to and from their appointment? While
members may know what care they need and are able to book an appointment, they
may not be able to show up for that appointment due to unreliable or non-existent
transportation. The member doesn’t show, the care gap remains, and health plans
take a hit on quality metrics. What’s worse, the member puts themselves at risk
for readmission or other, costly trips to the ED for care that remains
unaddressed – all an expensive medical cost for the plan. We are proud to work
with transportation vendors and ultimately, include the ability to schedule
transportation in a workflow while booking an appointment. By facilitating easy
access to transportation as part of the appointment scheduling process, we are
ensuring a better outcome for everyone.
Why not offer the functionality that consumers are accustomed to in
nearly every other industry? Booking a hotel, flight, or dinner reservation can
all be done online via a mobile device, so why not an appointment? Imagine
being able to extend this type of convenience and consumer-friendly experience
to your members. They come to the health plan’s site or app to search for an in-network
provider and can then schedule an appointment in real-time, on the spot, day or
night, no phone call required.
Instead of simply sending members text and phone call reminders to
schedule care, health plans can use automated outreach to send those messages with
the ability to schedule an appointment via self-service. The member would receive
a text message or phone call, and after confirming their identity, would
receive their personal health-related message along with the ability to
schedule an appointment as part of the outreach process. In a few clicks, or
with a few verbal responses, the appointment is scheduled, and the care gap is
closed with very minimal effort.
The struggle to find and maintain accurate contact info for
members is real. Fortunately, Experian Health has unprecedented access to
consumer data. With the largest
consumer database, collected on more than 300 million consumers, we
can provide a deeper understanding of your current members or prospects in your
markets. These data assets can enable the most effective marketing and
communication strategies to improve enrollment rates as members are more
successfully identified and reached. The data can also be leveraged to enhance
internal analytics, like member risk score algorithms or other models, to
improve member outcomes.
Learn more about how a digital care coordination platform can help your organization improve member engagement and the member experience.
The post Five Ways to Improve Health Plan Member Engagement appeared first on Healthcare Blog.
