Expectations, we all have them. Maybe for you, it’s the expectation that the barista will make your coffee at just the right temperature. Or that you’ll get a text from that special someone on your birthday. Perhaps you even have certain expectations about what you’re about to read in this blog post (we promise it will be worth it!).
Whatever it is, you expect your wants and needs to be met. The same is true when it comes to your healthcare. We carry certain expectations about how we are treated on our journey through the healthcare system.
Sometimes our expectations are met, and other times not so much. The key for healthcare payers is to learn how to best manage their members’ expectations, so the consumer is always at the heart of everything they do.
Consumerism in healthcare is all about your members having choices. For example, they can pick their primary care doctor or the hospital they want to go to, and base those decisions on a number of important factors such as location or cost.
In the past, consumers didn’t think much about their options. If your primary care doctor sent you to a specialist, then you went to that specialist without really questioning the doctor’s directive. But now, members feel more empowered to question their options because they have a vested interest in making more informed decisions based on their individual scenarios.
The consumerization of healthcare has changed the balance of power between payers and members. And members are tipping the scale to their side by taking a more significant role in managing their health. They will not settle for paying for services that do not meet their high expectations.
One of the main ways they are managing their health is through the use of information and technology. Members expect their payers to provide personalized, digitalized and connected healthcare experiences that address their specific needs. And when that tech fails to do so, your former members will readily move on to another payer.
There is a widening disconnect between members’ needs and what payers are providing. A study by KPMG about consumerism in healthcare found that:
Lots of payers are challenged by how to fix the difficulties that have arisen from consumerism in healthcare. Many are dealing with outdated call centers that are not equipped with proactive and preemptive support. The centers lack the individual insights to answer member questions or cannot provide tailored self-service options that are easy for members to navigate.
And without the technological capability to engage members with good experiences, payers face dwindling member satisfaction, retention, and brand loyalty.
According to the Salesforce Connected Health Consumer Report, payers don’t offer all the services that members want. 88% of members are interested in receiving personalized communications from payers. Additionally, 75% of members want online chat support, 84% want an online portal, and 91% want a complete view of their healthcare expenses.
Salesforce Health Cloud provides the critical digital transformation that payers need to deliver more personalized service and help them evolve in the age of consumerism. Salesforce Health Cloud puts members at the center of every healthcare experience by providing a HIPAA-compliant platform that connects people, data, and processes. You can transform your call center to deliver personalized experiences at scale, connect patients to care, and improve member outcomes quickly.
With Salesforce Health Cloud, payers will benefit from:
At times, healthcare can feel like one giant circle that payers and members are just circling around without truly intersecting. Salesforce Health Cloud enables an intersection and drives consumerism by providing a seamless experience across the healthcare continuum, not only for the members but also for the agents. It benefits both parties by having the ability to offer the expected personalized service easily.
Silverline is a certified Salesforce partner and provides healthcare organizations with expertise and guidance on implementing Salesforce Health Cloud. Silverline helps payers deepen and optimize member experiences so they can continue to meet – and exceed – members’ expectations. Find out how our experts can help your organization.
The original version of this page was published at: https://silverlinecrm.com/blog/healthcare/consumerism-in-healthcare-adding-value-with-salesforce-health-cloud/
With real-world expertise in the Healthcare industry, including sub-segments such as Provider, Payer, Medical Device, and Life Sciences, Silverline helps clients realize continuous value on the Sal... Read more
