How Digital Health Can Help Employers Drive Benefits Utilization

4 tips for crafting the perfect healthcare experience

The consumerization of healthcare has drastically changed how Americans interact with their health, both within and beyond the walls of the hospital, and health benefits. According to a 2018 Rock Health survey, 89 percent of respondents adopted a digital health tool in the last year. For benefits leaders, this is an intriguing trend that must be embraced in order to better engage employees and increase benefit utilization.

As more Americans use technology to manage diagnoses, connect with providers and make critical healthcare decisions, the need for personalized care is greater than ever before. Healthcare is truly personal but also a shared experience – everyone gets sick at some point in their lives. By combining technology solutions and thoughtful actions, that level of personalization can be achieved. Automated email, text messages, and voice calls deliver timely and consistent messaging on everything from checkup reminders to birthday greetings.

But personalization isn’t just timely messages. The tone of that message is key as well. Messages must sound authentic and empathetic in order to gain and secure employee trust in what might be a challenging moment in their lives. You have to also avoid the “creep” factor, ensuring that the personalization isn’t conveyed in an invasive way. For example, instead of saying, “We noticed you recently had an appointment with Dr. Jones, who identified several musculoskeletal issues. You should consider XYZ,” opt for a more generalized message, such as, “If you have back pain, you should give us a call.”

Companies should also design campaigns to allow benefits managers to talk about their services in ways that are easy to understand. For example, when addressing musculoskeletal issues, an employee shouldn’t actually see that specific term. Instead, they should encounter phrases such as tension headaches, shoulder pain, or back and knee pain. These are all common, layman’s phrases and symptoms that we can all understand. By avoiding jargon and personalizing care as much as possible, employees will be more engaged.

Certain life events can change the way employees interact with the healthcare system. There are happy moments, such as having a baby or getting married. And then there are challenging moments, such as losing a loved one or experiencing an unexpected health crisis. Benefits must be designed to meet employees where they are in life.  Combining clinical insights with data science can help employers scale the ability to 1.) predict or gain insight into when an employee is approaching a particular stage in life and 2.) deliver the appropriate, timely messages. For example, “Lynn” is 31-year-old and a mother of two who just moved to a new neighborhood. A digital-first strategy with the right tools in place should be able to flag that Lynn has a new address in a different hospital service area and can match her son with a new, high-quality pediatrician. During the visit, the doctor detects signs of a pulmonary condition and conducts tests beyond what is traditionally done during a routine annual physical. Lynn is relieved to have a qualified pediatrician who saw the warning signs, dug deeper and helped her son. This data-driven approach not only leads to better outcomes but also ensures people feel supported in their time of need. Studies have shown, eight out of 10 global workers want to work for an innovative, progressive company with a collaborative work environment. Furthermore, employee dissatisfaction and negative experience are among the main factors for employee turnover.

Today’s consumers expect a seamless experience, and it starts by establishing a unified flow of information. Benefits managers should consider every stop in the employee’s health journey. Start with the insurance carrier, then think all the way down to the employee. How does your population want to use and access their healthcare? How can data be collected from those touchpoints? Take “Chris,” for example. Chris is a healthy adult, age 27, with new symptoms of back pain. He receives an email about the open enrollment period, decides to switch his health plan and is then on the search for a new primary care physician (PCP). Through a cloud-based healthcare solution, Chris answers several questions about his history and, based on those insights, is linked to a quality physical medicine specialist in his area. Incorporating data from certain touchpoints can serve as a guide as to which services and vendors to fold into your healthcare stack – from mobile apps to convenient care options such as retail clinics and telemedicine.

This is less of a tip and strategy, but more of a reminder to be underscored. There is a tremendous amount of data in healthcare today. But as the saying goes “with great power comes great responsibility.” It is critical to fiercely protect any employee health data. With consumer privacy and data breaches at an all-time high, benefits leaders have a fine line to walk. Choose solutions that are fully compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other relevant regulatory frameworks. Cloud-based solutions, as opposed to native storage, will also provide security advantages as it offers greater functionality, security and convenient access to all users.

Crafting the perfect healthcare experience and messages for today’s employees requires juggling a lot of moving parts. But with a thoughtfully designed program that leans on digital health services, employers can better connect to their employees at every step of their journey.