As the ground shifts under their very feet, savvy health insurers are figuring out that engaging consumers will be the key to succeeding long term.
Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini has famously proclaimed the death of the insurance industry model as we know it. And the new model necessarily involves talking to consumers who historically maintain a high distrust of payers.
Technology may help in reshaping that relationship and with the proliferation of digital tools, though that job has likely gotten easier. Still, only some insurance companies are ahead in terms of adopting consumer technology to engage members in their own health. That comes from the “Benchmark Report: Payer Adoption of Emerging Consumer Tech” published by Chilmark Research, which conducted primary research including interviewing executives from health plans such as Aetna, UnitedHealth Group, WellPoint, Kaiser Permanente and Humana, as well as secondary research.
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So, which companies are ahead in terms of adopting consumer technology?
Aetna, UnitedHealth Group and Kaiser Permanente lead the pack, according to the report.
Aetna
One of the most successful Aetna initiatives is the OneRecovery.com social network aimed at people managing recovery from addiction-related disorders. The report says that the initiative launched in 2010 contains some basic gamification and is considered by the insurer as a “huge success in reducing treatment admissions.” It is now being transitioned to OneHealth as the goal is to help people manage a variety of conditions such as giving up smoking, depression, anxiety, diabetes, obesity, respiratory conditions, maternity and caregiver/family health.
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Earlier this year, it began offering members the Mindbloom Life Game premium version for free. The game combines behavioral science with social gaming techniques to achieve personal growth in health or any other aspect of a person’s life.
In the future, consumer engagement will become part of its CarePass platform, a cloud-based free offering where consumers will be able to track their health and wellness, access their medical records as well as book an appointment with a doctor.
Kaiser Permanente
The report portrays Kaiser Permanente, the integrated payer-provider, as having been on the “forefront of innovation in care delivery and consumer engagement” deploying its programs long before its competitors. It launched the first patient portal back in 2002 and with Humana was the first to launch online health games in 2008.
The payer/provider has focused on childhood obesity and recently a clinic in Sacramento piloted the Fitbit and BodyMedia biometric devices, which were later found to have helped in children losing weight. Among the company’s efforts to interact with consumers is the Thrive Across America online physical activity program by which KP’s employees, physicians, dentists and others can “travel through all eight Kaiser Permanente regions and program offices by recording exercise minutes and moving across a virtual trail,” according to the website.
UnitedHealth Group
The largest health insurance company by revenue has invested heavily in health IT, which is embodied in the Optum subsidiary and the Consumer Solutions Group of its OptumHealth unit. The OptumizeMe social game app was launched in 2010.
Through it, OptumHealth was able to divine that most consumers favor walking challenges compared with other activities, the report said. This particular pearl of wisdom led them to partner with Fitbit, a digital fitness tracker.
But FitBit is not the only partner the company has. The insurer announced a partnership with Carespeak in September 2011 through which it will allow two-way texting to boost patient adherence to treatment plans and provide disease management. It is also partnering with FitNow Inc., through which it is offering the Lose It!, a free weight-loss app.
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