Want to improve a health plan? Make it mobile.
That's the chief takeaway from J.D. Power's 2015 Member Health Plan Study, a comprehensive survey of more than 30,000 members of 134 health plans across the country that was released in March. Citing an across-the-board increase in member satisfaction based on six factors, officials said payers are heading in the right direction in crafting programs that meet their members' needs.
"Health plans have come a long way since last year as the focus has shifted toward better serving member needs and building trust," Rick Johnson, J.D. Power's senior director of the healthcare practice, said in a press release. "However, there is still a lot of work to do. Health plans need to take a more customer-centric approach and keep their members engaged through regular communications about programs and services available through their plan. When members perceive their plan as a trusted health partner, there is a positive impact on loyalty and advocacy."
[See also: Workplace health and wellness goes digital]
According to the survey, overall member satisfaction jumped 10 points from 2014, to an average of 679, with the largest increase (17 points) seen in information and communication. Officials said that increase is primarily a result of health plans improving their consumer-facing portals and refining both the messages and the frequency of messages to members.
In addition, satisfaction in customer service jumped 11 points, thanks to efforts by health plans to match communication methods to member preferences.
That includes enabling members to interact with their health plan via smartphone or other mobile device.
"Overall member satisfaction is 108 points higher among members who have contacted their plan via mobile app at least once in the past 12 months than among those who haven't," the press release pointed out. It added that the telephone is still the primary point of contact, though members 40 and younger are increasingly turning to text and mobile app to contact their plan.
Of the health plans scoring the highest in customer satisfaction, the Kaiser Foundation – which is heavily invested in mHealth – took top honors in both the west and east regions, while Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas earned top marks in the Midwest and Humana scored best in the south (where Kaiser came in third).
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