The COVID-19 pandemic has rewritten rules for the relationship between healthcare organizations and American customers. The payers are faced with adopting new environments and methods for consumer engagement as traditional ones no longer work. It has called for a transition to modernization of their health management efforts to be well suited to an increasingly digital and virtual environment, said Wellframe in an article.
- “Partly driven by consumer expectations and the evolution of tech adoption, health plans have come to prioritize these investments in modernization,” says Wellframe CEO and founder Jake Sattelmair. “That was already happening pre-COVID,” he continues, “but in a world where people weren’t able to see their doctors in person and everyone was forced into virtual care and telemedicine, it was a wakeup call that digital engagement and virtual support for members or patients is not this discretionary sidecar to the healthcare system, but a primary channel.”
- Report says that reforms have now attained must-have status from nice-to-have. With consumers and employers expecting more from their health plans, payers must find ways to meet them where they are. For health plans, that means prioritizing innovation, mainly in the form of member-facing digital tools and services.
- “If we can make it easier for them to get their questions answered, find the support that they’re looking for, and position the plan as a resource or an advocate to help people get their needs met, then that’s a much better starting point for longitudinal care and support than having that first interaction being a denied claim,” Sattelmair emphasizes.
- An integrated service model that encompasses billing, benefits, transportation, and education empowers members and paves the way to longitudinal, preventive care where the patient is an active part of the care process.