Open Enrollment and Building Long-term Satisfaction and Loyalty

Open Enrollment has begun. The yearly period when people can enroll in a health insurance plan runs from November 1, 2017 to December 15, 2017. This is a critical time for health plans to make a positive first impression with new members and to begin building long-term satisfaction and loyalty.

Welcome New Members to Create a Positive First Impression

A welcome call to new enrollees demonstrates that the health plan recognizes the new member as an individual and helps to develop an immediate connection. If the phone agent is warm and personable, this can create a positive first impression, which is the first step to building a long-term relationship.

Help Members Get Started on the Right Track

New member outreach also provides an opportunity to assess the member’s health needs, get them into a managed care program if needed, and help them start on the right track for the appropriate care, medication management, and compliance to care needed. Research has indicated that members who understand their plan design, options, and coverage give higher satisfaction ratings with the health plan.

New member welcome outreach can include:

• A warm welcome to introduce the plan
• Verifying or requesting missing information
• Confirmation of ID cards, plan material, and understanding of benefits
• Health assessments or a brief questionnaire to determine the member’s health needs
• Assistance with selecting a primary care physician
• Promoting wellness programs or services

Engage Members to Promote Satisfaction and Increase Ratings

It’s important to develop a solid plan and execution strategy for engaging new members to promote continued satisfaction and retention. High performing plans typically track new member experience and satisfaction and use the feedback to drive improvements in collateral, plan design, customer service, and access to care.

As most health plans realize, it is more cost effective to retain current members than to enroll new members. Health plans should consider assessing their members’ experiences as early as three to six months from enrollment and continually engage members throughout the membership cycle.

Demonstrating concern for members through continual outreach and communication can have a significant impact on member understanding, satisfaction, and compliance. It can also help the health plan achieve other objectives such as:

• Promoting appropriate and cost-effective utilization of services
• Improving clinical outcomes
• Monitoring and improving CMS Star Ratings or other public reporting measures such as CAHPS^® Survey results
• Increasing member satisfaction and retention rates

Develop A Plan of Action

The enrollment period and the months that follow are critical to new members. SPH Analytics has several programs to help you manage your new member outreach and help build member satisfaction and loyalty. We understand the value of each member, and our courteous, professional agents serve as an extension of the health plan to promote a positive image for your organization.

Beyond open enrollment and continuous member outreach, SPH Analytics helps organizations meet the Triple Aim by improving population health, reducing the overall cost of care, and improving the member/patient experience through quality measure dashboards, financial risk measurement analytics, healthcare survey and call center solutions, and consulting services.

We invite you to contact us to learn how we can help drive member/patient satisfaction and develop targeted initiatives to achieve the Triple Aim.

 

Additional Resources:

• Healthcare Call Center Solutions
• New Member Welcome Calls
• Health Risk Assessments
• Member Engagement to Drive Satisfaction