Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1058375
23 Executive Briefing payers including Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, Aetna and UnitedHealth. NTT DATA specifically assessed the health plans on four consumer touchpoints during the selection of a Medicare Advantage plan: (1) checking Medicare eligibility, (2) reviewing Medicare plan information, (3) shopping for Medicare plans and (4) enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan. The assessment found a wide disparity in ease of use. NTT DATA classified plans as either 'leaders' or 'laggards.' The leading plans offered a simplified shopping process with fewer pages to navigate and decisions to make, as well as the use of common internet shopping tools like geolocation to automatically offer coverage comparison and the ability to access eligibility information in just two clicks. Plans deemed laggards had twice as much friction as the leading plans. Nearly half of the laggard plans required potential customers to create an account in order to browse plans, and almost all of these plans (93 percent) did not provide any type of live chat, forcing customers to call to get answers to their questions. Just 40 percent of the organizations NTT DATA analyzed had a process in place to measure the customer journey. Additionally, nearly half of the plans NTT DATA reviewed forced customers to visit Medicare.gov, effectively giving up all control of the customer experience. Case study 2: Evaluating the appointment process Another process tainted with friction is the scheduling and canceling of appointments, according to a separate NTT DATA Customer Friction Factor assessment of 25 major health systems. Similar to the assessment of health plan shopping, NTT DATA looked at distinct touchpoints with patients. In this case, the study assessed: (1) making an appointment and (2) cancelling an appointment. Again, providers with customer interaction experiences that scored lowest for friction were deemed leaders, while their counterparts — those with interactions riddled with inconvenience — were deemed laggards. The assessment determined 56 percent of all organizations offered online scheduling. Many of these organizations, however, used third-party applications, adding confusion by failing to own the process and reinforce brand identity. Additionally, most of the online scheduling processes had a pre-registration step that added extra time to the interaction, distracting from the user's end goal of scheduling an appointment. Overall, leading organizations let consumers schedule an appointment directly online with a retail-like experience. They also sent a follow-up email to confirm the appointment and provided automated reminders, which can reduce no-shows. Similarly, when cancelling appointments, leaders offered an online process that took two steps or less. Laggards required consumers to call, which often forces patients to sit on hold and wait for a scheduler. 3 goals for data-driven improvement To remain competitive, healthcare organizations must improve their customer experiences and make them as seamless as those in the retail industry. It is imperative for organizations to design their processes with the customer perspective in mind. In other words, to create a positive consumer experience, organizations must look beyond the transactions themselves and address the organization's underlying culture. With NTT DATA's Customer Friction Factor SM assessment, organizations can achieve three key goals: 1. Understand: Learn how customers are doing business with the organization and quantify the friction in those experiences. 2. Gain insights: Identify the exact causes of the friction in the customer experience, devise a plan and prioritize efforts to improve the customer experience. 3. Improve the experience: Implement the plan to reduce and eliminate the friction. To ensure a superior customer experience, it's also important for organizations to continually evaluate their electronic tools and processes. NTT DATA's Customer Friction Factor SM meets this need as well. Be a leader, not a laggard As more organizations look to improve patient/member interactions, the divide between leaders and laggards will continue to grow. This means organizations with superior customer experiences will eventually emerge as market leaders. Now more than ever, healthcare organizations must work to revamp their customer experience. To achieve this, it is imperative leaders leverage the right solutions to identify and eliminate friction from what should be the simplest aspects of the care experience: buying a health plan and scheduling an appointment. Eliminating the friction in these interactions can build the foundation for the convenient care experience patients deserve. n NTT DATA Services partners with clients to navigate and simplify the modern complexities of business and technology, delivering the insights, solutions and outcomes that matter most. As a division of NTT DATA Corporation, a top 10 global IT services and consulting provider, we wrap deep industry expertise around a comprehensive portfolio of infrastructure, applications and business process services.