This is the third in a three-part series regarding why offering healthcare consumers high-touch advocacy and navigation support is critical for staying competitive. To start at the beginning, please click here.
The sweeping shift toward consumer-driven, value-oriented healthcare, combined with escalating costs, complexity and competition in the marketplace, is prompting health plans to rethink the way they do business with employer groups and consumers.
To remain competitive, the most progressive plans are adopting a customer-first mindset that simplifies and elevates the overall healthcare experience while curbing costs for all stakeholders.
The plans that are slow to embrace customer-centricity risk losing out to non-traditional competitors directly offering employers health concierge services that cater both to employers’ needs and healthcare consumers’ expectations.
Plans Lagging Behind
To cut costs, attract and retain talent, and improve employee wellbeing, a growing number of employers are seeking concierge services that meet the expectations of today’s healthcare consumers, like more personalized, on-demand support; more efficient processes; and better decision-making tools.
However, plan leaders report they are struggling to keep pace with the rapidly evolving expectations of the populations they serve. According to a recent analysis, “only 8 percent of healthcare organizations are applying successful practices to meet new expectations.”
Health plans have been slow to respond to rising consumerism for a variety of reasons, from marketplace complexity and changing regulations to competing business priorities and customer experience not being a core competency.
Many plans, however, do have good intentions. In fact, “90 percent of organizations identify improving the consumer experience as a high priority, but only 30 percent have built capabilities to do so.”
Competitive Threats
Plans that don’t swiftly answer the call for high-touch advocacy and navigation support risk losing out to competitive disruptors that are aggressively promoting their concierge services not only in employer conference rooms, but also via enticing marketing messages in consumer-facing channels like TV.
By not stepping up to the plate fast enough, plans may miss an invaluable opportunity to provide a seamless branded experience, strengthen their relationship with employers and consumers, build brand equity and loyalty, and increase revenue.
New Opportunities
A competitive advantage can be gained by health insurers that offer employers a comprehensive one-stop solution that enables consumers to smoothly navigate the healthcare system, easily access care, make informed decisions, and spend wisely.
By providing tailored, trusted, concierge-level support that holds an individual’s hand throughout his or her healthcare journey, plans can help ensure the best possible overall consumer experience while improving outcomes across the board.
To learn more, click here to download Carenet’s e-book, Staying Competitive in a Customer-Centric Market: Why Joining the Concierge Movement is Critical for Meeting Employer Needs and Consumer Expectations.
