COVID-19 brought changes to all service industries, including health insurance. PHP continues to face challenges as we work to meet the needs of our members, employers, and healthcare providers. For example, we continue to improve efficiency initiatives to make information more accessible, shift gears to adapt to members changing preferences, and work to meet required compliance mandates.
Our members and clients are making their preferences clear and overall, are seeking seamless service, flexible coverage options, and personalized service. Three key areas where PHP is focused to remain resilient and agile include: personal engagement, health and wellness initiatives, and improved technology.
Here are some strategies and tactics PHP has identified to address a changing industry.
Retain our expert, local customer support
PHP continues to offer live, local customer service. Our customers expect a quick response and knowledgeable customer service team members. Our team is located right here in Northern Indiana, and are familiar with the doctors, hospitals, and services in this region. This gives PHP an edge over other insurance carriers on providing accurate and specific information.
Some customers prefer a digital experience, so PHP introduced an online chat feature to our customer service options in 2020. The number of members we saw utilizing this feature from March 2020 (120) to March 2021 (453) was an increase of 278% and numbers are rising. Staying attuned to our customers’ preferences is key to a successful member engagement strategy.
To effectively engage with today’s knowledgeable and empowered healthcare consumer, PHP broker partners and sales team are working closely alongside clients to prioritize the right products that suit evolving needs and preferences across a client’s lifecycle. We continue to improve timely communication and reach our customers through the communication channels they prefer and access most.
Offer flexible, comprehensive benefit coverage, including lifestyle wellness programs
During this past year, people were forced to stay indoors to protect their health and the outcome is some members have chosen to take this time to become healthier, whereas some have become less physically active. Additionally, social distancing and isolation are leading to more significant mental health issues.
PHP has several wellness initiatives and programs to improve members’ physical and mental health and encourage positive lifestyle changes. Our Get PHP Fit! program is a self-directed platform and offers physical and mental health services along with chronic disease management. The program allows members to join online social communities, meet wellness goals and learn more about well-being. Additionally, custom coaching and on-site wellness programs are available to our employer groups. This is a unique PHP advantage over our competition.
By offering well-being programs our clients realize we have a sincere interest in member health, further strengthening our relationships. Data collected through wellness programs helps PHP better understand our members and we can offer more personalized services and suggest customized programs to improve their health. Improving employee health is a win-win for employees and employers with less absenteeism and lower premiums.
Maintain telehealth options for access to care
Telehealth offers convenient access to quality, cost effective clinical care, regardless of location. Telehealth services are gaining popularity as the demand for remote care is rising fast. Rapid advancements with information and communication technologies have enabled the adoption of telehealth. And due to the COVID-19 pandemic, regulators are now offering greater flexibility for telehealth services.
PHP offers two virtual health platforms—a 24-hour nurseline as well as online telehealth visits with a doctor — for our members to access for medical consultation and care. We saw an uptick of 223% percent from 2019 to 2020 with the use of telehealth doctor visits. We will continue to monitor the use of telehealth and virtual care to improve member health and to manage utilization while keeping our eyes open to newly emerging options for members.
Maintain relationships with our partner providers and hospitals
One of PHP’s greatest strengths is our network of hospitals and doctors in our service region. We are able to offer comprehensive access to those hospitals and doctors that are most meaningful and useful to Indiana employers.
PHP grows and develops our relationships with regional health systems and providers that accommodate our customers’ needs and high demands. Our hospital and physician networks allow employers to select networks that their employees prefer, while potentially economizing on narrower options. This model ensures members have access to the providers they prefer, without stretching network costs over a wide geographic region. Guiding members to a smaller group of providers and hospitals also allows PHP to negotiate lower prices. This leads to lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs for members and employers.
PHP recognizes that working with exclusive providers contributes to higher measured quality and better outcomes. For our providers and hospitals, this means they are part of the PHP family which can give a competitive advantage in our region.
Meeting our customers where they want to be met
Almost everyone is digital these days. Digital adoption is no longer a function of age and nearly everyone, regardless of age, is using digital channels for day-to-day transactions. The two factors PHP takes into consideration when reaching out to our customers is their preference for communication: Digital or human interaction.
The impact of human intervention is powerful and PHP has always advocated for a human touch. Although, now more customers are often seeking answers online to questions and educating themselves about group health products and services. We will continue to make answers available to our clients through self-education, marketing and education materials, and through an interactive website.
PHP intends to continue to give our customers a choice. We realize that today’s customers often turn to online research and social media testimonials from friends to make purchasing decisions. We’re here to serve them when they are ready to ask questions or make the switch to PHP. So, we will continue to offer a layered approach through automation followed by human interaction.
Time to innovate and scale
Now is the time for PHP and all insurers to embrace an open ecosystem and to collaborate and scale with broker partners to develop innovative solutions and enable quick market shifts for customers’ needs. We continue to monitor and adjust our strategy to meet the challenges facing PHP and the health insurance industry in 2021 and beyond and look forward to meeting those challenges with even greater engagement, products, services, and technology.
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