Health plans have invested heavily in member websites, portals, and mobile apps in recent years. The good news is that member engagement and satisfaction with these tools are increasing. The bad news is that only a minority of your members are using either of these tools and only for limited purposes.
Health plan websites and apps are primarily used for administrative functions. Some examples may include inquiring about a claim status or accessing a provider search. These tools are not commonly utilized for managing health and health care. While members over age 65 are increasingly comfortable using smartphones, they are more likely to have health conditions and less likely to use phone-based apps.
Care management activities often require outbound communication from the health plan. If your members are not downloading and using a mobile app, you may try to reach them through older, outdated communication methods like snail mail, email, and outbound phone calls. It is hard to reach members by phone.
Snail mail may go in the recycle bin; the most you know about email is whether it was opened. Texting may reach the member, but due to regulations around protected health information, texts cannot contain useful personalized health information.
SmartStory can allow you to reach members not using your current digital channels with an app-like experience on mobile devices without requiring them to download an app. We help educate members about disease states or plan-provided benefits, remind them when preventive screenings or follow-up care are needed, and collect information on their current health needs.
When a phone or video visit is required, we can facilitate scheduling the call, gather information before the call, and deliver follow-up content after the call. We also help improve your HEDIS, CAHPS, and Stars scores by helping you reach hard-to-reach members.
Smart Story also makes virtual healthcare support accessible and personalized for your members. By reducing the burden on clinical teams, we can improve operational efficiency. We support one of the nation’s largest specialty pharmacies, Medicare and Medicaid plans, and other healthcare organizations.
Your Members Aren’t Using Your Website or App
Cognizant’s Voice of the Member 2023 survey shows that 41% of health plan members have not registered on the health plan website portal. Of those health plan members who have registered, the predominant uses are for administrative functions. 44% of health plan members have not downloaded the health plan app. Our team has been provided with even worse statistics in our industry conversations with health plans and care management vendors. Only 40-60% of members who download an app use it regularly; again, administrative functions are the highest use.
Websites and apps often have a wealth of health management information on prevention, specific diseases, and how to manage care best. Many websites and apps have chat capability or links to virtual health visits. Apps also have the advantage of being a vehicle for outbound messaging to members with gaps in care or other medical needs. Websites and apps are always there, so a member can return to the same content if needed. However, survey data and anecdotes tell us that a significant portion of your membership does not use your digital tools. When they do, it is not for activities supporting the member’s care management needs.
Care Management Thrives on Personal Connection
Each member with a chronic disease or a severe acute episode is unique. Age, location, specific disease states, medication therapies, and social determinants of health all affect the right care plan.
It is challenging for websites or even apps to provide the information members need during their care journey. Sending information to your at-risk members through mail or email leaves you guessing about effectiveness.
Reaching members through outbound phone calls is like finding a needle in the haystack. How can you improve your chances of success engaging your members regarding their care?
Often, your health plan has information about something missing or is a next step in the care plan that the member is unaware of. For example, do all your diabetic members know that they need to have their eyes and feet examined every year? Are your members aware of non-invasive alternatives for colorectal cancer screening? Do your customers understand the value of an annual comprehensive medication review? This information may be on your website or app, but if it is not seen when the member needs it, it is not helpful.
SmartStory can increase your members' awareness of these benefits and care management resources and create a seamless path for them to access services.
Empower Members with Vital Data When It Matters Most
SmartStory’s engagement technique is simple, efficient, and effective. We start the conversation with your members by texting them with an embedded link. When they open the link, they are in an encrypted, secure web session on our white-label, HITRUST-certified platform.
Because the member is in a secure web session, PHI can be exchanged in confidence and full compliance. We can also start this conversation through email or text-to-voice messages, but as more people become reliant on their mobile phones, text is the most common initial engagement channel. Regardless of how the conversation starts, we can help the member get a specific care management task done in an app-like environment without downloading an app.
Our Care Management Functions at a Glance
SmartStory can custom-develop care management outreach to meet your needs, and some of the functions we can provide include the following:
Boosting Connection Rates: Deliver a digital contact card to a member’s phone so that when your care management team reaches out, the member knows who is calling and increases connection rates.
Flexible Calling Options: Facilitate phone calls by giving the members choices on how to reach them:
- Click to call a clinical team member now
- Connect to a scheduling system and allow members to self-schedule
- Collect member availability to tell the clinical team what day and time works best for the member
Informative Care Resources: Provide educational materials (including video) on benefits that can affect the member’s care:
- Preventive or disease-specific screenings
- Telehealth availability and scheduling
- Comprehensive medication reviews
Disease and Medication Insights: Provide education on specific disease states or medications
Visual Wellness Guides: Videos on self-care techniques
Medication Adherence Support Made Easy: Daily medication dosage reminders
Proactive Health Monitoring: Patient assessments and identification of barriers to care
- Medication non-adherence outreach
- Health risk assessments
- SDOH assessments
- Updates on patient condition between encounters with their physician or your care team
SmartStory: Enhancing Your Engagement Tools for Better Reach
SmartStory doesn’t replace your existing engagement methods; we add another low-cost channel to supplement and enhance your current programs. We can usually use the content and processes you have already developed.
SmartStory can integrate with our care management or other operational systems, but in many cases, we don’t need to. We will work with you to customize your outreach's content, timing, and frequency to members. We can operationalize a program quickly—most implementations take under 90 days—and we are cost-effective. To improve your care management performance, contact SmartStory at info@smartstory.com.
