The drive to five Stars is becoming increasingly difficult–especially with recent CMS final rulings. So, in what remains of 2024 and beyond, it is mission critical for health plans and providers to better engage with all members.
Maxims are especially valuable when they come with alignment. Consider the adage, “Eyes on the prize.” Then think about and what differing perceptions of “the prize” mean to every player in health care; and to every beneficiary served:
- Top down and bottom up, do your employees know what “the prize” is for your company in 2024? Plus, is your team pursuing multiple smaller prizes that clearly tie to your essence prize for 2024?
- How about the massive network of providers and suppliers supporting your mission? Does the top prize on which each provider/supplier is focused fuel progress or create drag on your essence prize?
- What about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)? Is the prize for this regulatory body aligned with your essence prize?
- Finally, and most vital to the long-term success of your business, does your “essence prize” align with the “prize” current and prospective new members most desire?
Success in this complicated “eyes on the prize” environment comes from two things. The first is a who. At every level of your organization have you empowered trusted leaders?
The second is a what. Are your trusted leaders consistently communicating effectively, using the most relevant communications channels for each audience?
Let’s now consider another valuable maxim, giving special focus to members: “Meet people where they are.”
The drive to five Stars is becoming increasingly difficult–especially with recent CMS final rulings. So, in what remains of 2024 and beyond, it is mission critical for health plans and providers to better engage with all members. Gaps need to be opened and closed. Social determinants of health (SDoH), behavioral health, race/ethnicity, preferred language, and other relevant data points need to be captured and documented in member records better than ever before. Plus, health risk assessments need to be completed early–all so doctors and care teams truly have the information they need to optimize the health and well-being of every member.
Using the “meet people where they are” truism as a litmus test for every mass communication effort ensures that company leaders are asking the right questions as stewards of precious company resources. Are you netting consistent increases in the percentages of engaged members, of compliant members, of members referring family members and friends to you as new members? Could you score more? Challenge your team, your providers, and suppliers to keep becoming more relevant to members. No one can afford to be satisfied with the status quo. Doing the same thing in 2024 is not likely to yield a different member engagement outcome than it did in 2023.
Don’t miss earning your share of some $12 billion annually distributed by CMS to top performers in health care. Be disciplined about testing lower-cost and higher-yield communication solutions–especially those proven worthy by others. Then, quickly scale winning touch points that fuel desired actions by engaged members (plan and/or provider fans), and/or better connect you with unengaged members.
The laudable goal of having 100 percent of members knowing and using their plan benefits simply can’t be achieved with some direct mail, some “love calls” by care teams or member services professionals, some website content, some social media posts, or some in-person events being seen or attended by a fraction of your membership.
How are members receiving a cascade of relevant health tips year-round? They clearly are not universally maintaining a healthy cadence of primary care appointments with the clinicians who should know them best.
Members need frequent relevant messages from the folks they most trust–especially if they want to thrive when multiple and major chronic conditions are impacting their health and well-being. The latest data from the annual Gallup’s Honesty and Ethics poll that started in 1976, shows nurses top the list measuring how professions are trusted for the 22nd consecutive year.
Nurses are trusted by 78 percent of U.S. adults. More than 20 basis points lower are medical doctors (trusted by 56 percent), and pharmacists (trusted by 55 percent). Clergy and union leaders have trust scores of 32 percent and 25 percent, respectively. Business executives and insurance salespeople score substantially lower, being trusted by only 12 percent of U.S. adults. Advertising practitioners and senators earn just 8 percent trust scores. So, the who are the most relevant messengers to your members (could vary by subgroup and/or by individual) needs to be known and scaled with intent to all communications channels.
Blues and other top health plans in 19 states are investing just pennies per member to consistently improve quality measures and retention. They are using easy-to-scale Telephone Town Hall Meeting communications solutions also frequently chosen by federal, state, county and city elected officials, by labor unions and other special interest groups. All are better keeping eyes on the prize by bringing trusted voices to meet members and other constituents precisely where they are.
About TTHM
Telephone Town Hall Meeting (TTHM) is based in Golden, Colo. and orchestrates virtual mass-communications campaigns that engage Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. Since 2006, TTHM has been involved in lobbying efforts that have created the regulatory environment we enjoy today. Its focus on compliance and extensive experience working with major phone carriers has made the company an asset for plans, providers, brokers and agents.