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Market Dynamics Require New Ways of Interacting with Health Plan Members

HealthEdge® — a provider of modern, disruptive technology that enables health insurers to leverage new business models, improve outcomes, reduce administrative costs and connect everyone in the healthcare delivery cycle — commissioned Porter Research to conduct a survey of 2,500 health plan members across the United States to gauge their opinions on customer service issues.  The survey responses clearly indicated that health plans must quickly tune their offerings and provide service levels that match or exceed the expectations of their members, or risk losing those members to their competitors in today’s new, consumer-oriented marketplace.

Overall Takeaways

Surveyed consumers expect organizations in their healthcare ecosystem to more effectively communicate with them and supply information and services in a way that is as convenient as their experience in other industries.  Booking a trip, checking a bank account balance and ordering goods and services online are routine transactions in travel, banking and retail. Health plans were poorly rated by comparison among respondents, but have multiple opportunities to improve communications and services with their members.

Examples include:

>> 88% of survey respondents across all demographics state that their health plan could be doing a better job of communicating their total financial responsibility.

>> Incentives for healthy behaviors, including diet and exercise, are very popular.

>> Members care if their health plans lag behind in tech-savviness.

View the complete questionnaire and response results in HealthEdge’s Market Dynamics Require New Ways of Interacting with Health Plan Members report.