HealthMine Survey: 47% of Medicare Plan Members Say Their Health Plan's Member Portal 'Rarely or Never' Answers Most of Their Questions Online, versus 19% of Those 64-Years' Old and Under
65% of Medicare plan members connected to health plan portal, versus 89% of those 64-years' old and under
DALLAS, Oct. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthMine survey data underscores that the way members connect to health plans directly relates to how members prefer to receive help about their health. Eighty-nine percent (89%) of those 64-years old and under say they are connected to their health plan through a member portal, versus 65% of Medicare members. Seventy percent (70%) of those 64-years old and under prefer communication digitally with their plan (email, text, website, or mobile app), versus 31% of Medicare members. Conversely, 48% of Medicare plan members prefer to get answers via telephone, versus 10% of those 64-years old and under. For Medicare plan members, 47% say that online digital portal never (33%) or rarely (14%) answers their questions, versus 19% of non-Medicare plan members (14%/rarely, 5%/never).
Key survey question and responses below:
Q: How do you prefer communication with your plan:
| 64 and under |
65+ (Medicare) |
|
| • Phone |
10% |
48% |
| • Digital (email, text, website or |
70% |
31% |
| • US Mail |
20% |
21% |
Q: Is your member portal able to answer most of your questions online?
| 64 and under |
65+ (Medicare) |
|
| • Some of the time |
51% |
31% |
| • Most of the time |
30% |
21% |
| • Rarely |
14% |
14% |
| • No, never |
5% |
33% |
According to Bryce Williams, president and CEO of HealthMine, "Despite how plan members prefer communication, plans must go digital. Member communication with the plan, whether via phone or digital, needs to be documented and captured so a plan can help provide timely health recommendations. Our team has managed call centers that capture the information from every call, and we can often spot members' needs to help close gaps in care – that often translates into better health outcomes and savings for the members and the plan."
About the Surveys
The HealthMine Medicare Plan Health Intelligence Survey queried 500 insured age 65+ consumers who are enrolled in a Medicare program. The survey was fielded by Survey Sampling International (SSI) in June/July 2017. The HealthMine Digital Healthcare Tools Survey queried 750 consumers age 64-years or younger enrolled in a sponsored insurance plan in the first quarter of 2017. Data for both surveys were collected via an opt-in panel. The margin of error was 4%. Survey Sampling International (SSI) has been the worldwide leader in survey sampling and data collection solutions, across every mode, for 40 years.
About HealthMine
HealthMine is a leading healthcare technology company that delivers Health Intelligence for plan members and plan sponsors. HealthMine's cloud-based Health Intelligence Solution facilitates better health outcomes and lowers healthcare costs by providing: 1) insight into health status and risk, 2) clinical guidance on necessary health actions, 3) personalized motivation to close gaps in care and 4) measurement of outcomes. The Health Intelligence Solution derives business value from all clinical and lifestyle health data including data from existing wellness programs. HealthMine has more than 1 million users and has saved health plan sponsors more than $100 million in healthcare costs. HealthMine is on the web at www.healthmine.com.
* Total percentages may exceed 100% because respondents were able to choose multiple responses.
SOURCE HealthMine
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