6 ways health plans can build a better member experience strategy

Members are bombarded with messages—and many aren’t sure how to find reputable and relevant health information. With a multichannel outreach strategy health plans can connect members to essential health information, improving their experience and building their trust. The key is to deliver your message across channels (like email, SMS, and a mobile app if you have one), making sure to leverage the channels members prefer.

The healthcare system is notoriously challenging to navigate. But what if members can find their remaining deductible, HSA balance, providers, and employer benefits all in one place? Centralizing health and benefits information can help improve member trust and satisfaction with their plan. Solutions like Wellframe offer mobile apps with a built-in member resource center, which makes it easy for members to find the information that’s most important to them. Plus, once members know their benefits, they’re more likely to use them.

People with limited health literacy tend to report higher rates of ER visits and often skip important preventive care. Make sure you can deliver content that breaks down confusing topics—from understanding costs to staying in network—to help members become informed self-advocates. And don’t forget to remove confusing healthcare jargon and explain common acronyms to help improve health literacy.

If a member has pressing health questions or extra help understanding their coverage, make sure they can reach out, on their own time, through an asynchronous channel. For some plans, this means offering secure 1:1 messaging between members, care teams, and plan staff through a member mobile app. This allows members to ask questions as they arise, and enables care teams and plan staff to seamlessly transfer members and share information quickly—without playing phone tag.

Of members living with at least one chronic condition, 65% have felt depression, anxiety, or both while managing their condition(s). Help reduce stress and confusion by streamlining healthcare navigation. Some health plans leverage a member mobile app as a convenient point of contact. From there, clinicians and staff can help members book doctor’s appointments, connect them to real-time billing support, or put them in touch with community resources.

Your members’ needs may be ever-changing, and a triggering health event can require intensive and timely support. If a care team learns a member needs additional assistance, they can more easily triage those members and address their needs with digital care management. This includes personalized care programs delivered in the form of an interactive daily checklist, complete with surveys, digestible articles, and tips that can help members manage their health at home.