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A collection of curated stories from client industries, CX and global trends that grab our attention.
Our debut post is about a couple of trends that caught our eye after we started tracking CX and health care payers. The first trend we noticed was how non-health-care entities are making their moves into the health care customer service space and what enhancements they can provide to the customer experience. As 2021 came to a close, we noticed that traditional health care providers are aiming to improve member/patient experiences by leveraging digital tools as well as physical brick-and-mortar locations. For example, the recent CVS press release is further proof of this.
For the second one, we also noticed an increase in competition from new entrants with experience in the digital and online retail and services industries. This will increase customer experience stakes and continue to motivate improvement for all traditional health care providers. Never before has it been more important to make navigating plans and benefits as seamless, inclusive and friendly as possible, and all providers know this for sure.
Key information supporting our assessment is highlighted below:
- A turning point for health care CX according to Carenet: Carenet Health recently released its 2022 Healthcare Consumer Engagement Forecast. The full details are in the link above, but here’s a quick bullet list of its predictions for the new year:
- Consumer experience, satisfaction and trust will be top-priority targets for improvement
- Continued workforce challenges will drive an unprecedented restructuring of health care service and support
- Digital solutions, whether they’re wearable devices, remote patient monitoring or mobile apps, will be a customer highlight but only if they're implemented thoughtfully
- Telehealth will find its best-fit place in the care ecosystem
- Behavioral health care service access will accelerate thanks to momentum in the digital space
- Payer-provider collaboration will ramp up
- In-home care will grow and help address the deferred care crisis
- How will health care insurance providers change?: The growing threat of companies like Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft entering the health care industry has forced traditional health insurance providers to act fast in revamping their customer experience and business processes. The good news is traditional providers have the industry knowledge, existing customer relationships and extensive data on the provider market. The bad news is their reputations as bureaucratic, outdated and terrible when helping customers are still fresh on consumers’ minds. From embracing new communication, to outsourcing, to rethinking their brands, here’s what the original health care payers are doing to turn an industrywide ship around for the benefit of all.
- Coming soon... Amazon Care: It’s no surprise to anyone watching the industry that COVID-19 changed consumer buying habits and attention to safety. Amazon has taken notice and is leveraging its eye for efficiency in order for members to “see” a nurse or a doctor or get a diagnosis using telehealth in all 50 states. With Alexa now being HIPAA compliant, other similar businesses are watching to see how Amazon’s plan to challenge Medicare’s traditional coverage models and implement a “hospital without walls” policy will succeed.
- BCBSM acquires total NASCO ownership: On November 30, 2021, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan announced it solely owns NASCO, a vendor of core administrative processing solutions in the health care IT industry. The goal of this acquisition is to keep BCBSM’s business strategy of seamless customer support, advocacy and enrollment front and center in an increasingly digital environment. The article link above details just how long BCBSM and NASCO had a working relationship before this acquisition.
We’ll certainly post more as these stories develop. Watch for more health care-related posts in the near future!
