I in experience

COVID-19 forced people to interact at a distance, leading to a rise in telehealth visits and other options for receiving care. We’ve seen a 15-20x increase in virtual visit volume for telehealth providers during the pandemic¹ and our estimates show that in the future, 1 in 3 healthcare visits will be conducted virtually.² Doctors and patients alike are warming to the idea of using video and digital means to interact. People are increasingly open to using technology to solve problems in new ways. This willingness to explore alternatives shows consumers’ openness to new service delivery options. And as people become more versed in and familiar with the technology, these care models will stick.

To adapt, healthcare payers and providers need to redesign digital experiences with new models that amplify personal agency and thereby their capacity to act. Consumers must feel comfortable with how their information is used; they want some control in the process. Healthcare organizations can help turn these formerly passive audiences into active participants by transforming one-way experiences into true collaborations. Doing this well is a way to differentiate in a market where virtual is becoming more mainstream.

We have access to more data than ever. A person’s Apple Watch can tell their heart rhythm. Their FitBit can show oxygen saturation levels. Useful and actionable data is everywhere, but the healthcare industry is missing opportunities to offer a truly integrated experience by combining these bits of data that are coming in.

Connecting the dots of data allows healthcare organizations to predict what a patient might need next (just as an airline predicts your meal selection and desired seat choice based on data). People want these types of experiences. Patients—especially those with multiple comorbidities—want tools such as apps that can guide them through their care journey.

Healthcare payers and providers are customizing digital experiences, but they haven’t mastered providing the transparency people want. Organizations need to provide people with the choice to determine whether they want to choose their own experience or not. When they choose their own experience, how is that information used during the care experience and after?

It will be critical to adopt a data privacy mindset and convert it into a set of capabilities. For instance, creating a granular profile and preferences page where users can select what they are willing to share or not, and decide how much tailoring they want. Organizations can build trust with their users by offering more transparency about data collection and other important topics like pricing.

Bind health insurance allows people to better understand out-of-pocket costs for not just for a provider, but for an entire set of services. They use a comprehensive claim history to model costs and provide a “total cost to me” figure that includes everything from facility charges to lab testing. Patients gain insight into exactly what they are paying for before they choose a provider or service.

MIDATA, a nonprofit cooperative that serves as a trustee for data collection, helps to ensure citizens’ control over their personal data. Members with an account can grant access to their personal data to actively contribute to medical research and clinical studies. Users select which data they want to share. Members are informed and can participate in decision making processes—and they can withdraw their personal data at any time. All datasets are encrypted and only the user can access his or her data set.