We recently sat down with Virgin Pulse’s Matt Schaeffer, a former health plan marketing strategist, to break down what health plans should be doing to retain members in a post-COVID world. Catch the video and full interview below.
Q: What are some ways that health plans can stay top of mind?
A: Personalize things as much as possible. A 27-year-old with no underlying conditions is going to need something different than a 65-year-old that just got out of heart surgery. It is very important to personalize the messaging and solutions you bring them and to help them understand their benefits in the simplest way possible.
Understanding that behavior change doesn’t happen overnight is also essential. Research shows it takes 1-2 months to change habits. Engage them on a regular basis (use multiple touch points, not one-and-done campaigns) in a way that makes sense to them to stay top of mind and create a member for life.
Q: How can you cut through the noise so brokers put your plans and solutions in front of their clients?
A: Brokers are dealing with hundreds of solutions and keeping track of them can be difficult. Simplify what you offer to make it an easy sale for the broker. One way to do that is to offer a single platform that brings all of those solutions to work together. It is also important to be able to prove success; a platform like Virgin Pulse’s makes it possible to calculate ROI on those programs for the client.
Q: How can plans be sure that the new programs will be effective and address things like closing critical gaps in care, when people are still a bit nervous about medical settings?
A: After a crazy year where a lot of preventative care was put off, it’s more important than ever for health plans to get members to close those gaps in care that were created by COVID. Getting members to do this goes back to personalization and having that consistent cadence of messaging that is going to get them back on their regular care plan. Factor in SDOH [Social Determinants of Health], diversity and health equity initiatives to determine individuals that were hit hardest by the pandemic so you can effectively focus your resources and support on those who need it the most.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Vx0J2cHszcE%3Ffeature%3Doembed
Struggling with member retention and loyalty? Welltok can help by providing the right technology, data and personalized support to get your members to actually engage with you and your solutions, so your clients see the positive results.