WebMD Ignite is broadening its reach in the health insurance space with the launch of a new tool that aims to bolster care management programs.
Called Coach, the platform integrates into care managers' existing workflows and makes it easier for them to offer personalized educational materials and interactive resources to members. Insurers often struggle with engagement around care management programs, due in part to the lack of personalization.
Through Coach, care managers are able to offer the right information in the avenue that works best for the individual member, whether that's phone, email, text message, chat or physical mail. WebMD has a trove of evidence-based content care managers can access and share with members.
WebMD Ignite also provides data analytics insurers can use to track member progress as well as populationwide reports that allow firms to measure the success of care management initiatives.
Ann Bilyew, executive vice president for health and president of the Healthcare Solutions Group at WebMD Ignite, told Fierce Healthcare in an interview that improving the member experience requires a "seamless" path through the healthcare system.
"It’s one human, whether they’re in the member lane or in the patient lane," she said. "Our true north, if you will, is to create an absolutely seamless journey for that human so that they’re getting a consistent message and a consistent voice that is really personalized for their unique set of circumstances."
Coach builds on the launch of WebMD Ignite's member engagement platform, HealthHub Interactive, which was unveiled in late April. This platform features a tool plan members can use to make decisions about their care beyond the clinic setting.
In addition to allowing care managers to have more personalized discussions with members, Coach also assists insurers in setting up outreach and informational campaigns around public health topics such as flu vaccinations, ensuring these initiatives are reaching the correct audience.
WebMD Ignite's collection of resources is built on WebMD's content as well as recently added materials from Healthwise and Crain's. Bilyew said this includes medically reviewed written content as well as 3D animations and videos available in 17 languages.
That size and potential reach is what sets WebMD Ignite apart from other care management tools available, as many are young or made by startups, Bilyew noted.
"I think most of our clients today are looking for businesses that can compete at scale and can serve them at scale," she said.
Bilyew said providing personalized interactions with members is key to building the trust that fosters retention. Coach and HealthHub Interactive can help build those bridges, she said.
Selecting a health plan and providers to see is a "very intimate decision," she said.
"If a member believes that a plan cares about them and is trying to engage with them around health topics that are tailored to them in a way that resonates with them, they’ll feel connected," Bilyew said.