Intelligent payer: Consumer trust in healthcare

While trust is essential, it must be earned and kept. After all, consumers expect the kind of experiences they get from disruptors—consistent, personalized digital experiences powered by data and AI. As consumers’ digital expectations evolve, how can payers build trust and turn more consumers into Trusters? The key is to deliver intelligent member experiences—highly-personalized, interactive and visual digital experiences that are initiated from multiple channels and seamless across them.

Trust gaps exist

Accenture examined consumers’ trust of their payers across two dimensions—healthcare decision making and healthcare coverage—to determine a total trust score for three groups: Distrusters, Neutrals and Trusters (see Figure 1). Based on Accenture’s trust scoring method, Medicare Advantage consumers have the highest percentage of Trusters (61%), while Group consumers include a significantly lower number of Trusters (37%) (see Figure 2). These trust gaps have implications for payers’ ability to engage and retain each of these important segments of consumers.

Trust predicts retention

Trust is a key driver of retention. Trusters are overwhelmingly likely to stay with their insurer. A full 71% would definitely stay if they had a chance to change carriers while just 26% of Neutrals would. And further, a mere 7% of Distrusters would definitely stay. In contrast, 59% of Distrusters would definitely or are likely to switch (see Figure 3).

Accenture analysis also reveals that trust is a higher predictor of retention than the typical measure of loyalty: Net Promoter Score® (NPS®)¹, a key metric for payers that measures consumers’ willingness to recommend. Trust has a 64% higher impact on a consumer’s likelihood to stay than willingness to recommend (as measured by NPS) does (see Figure 4).

From neutral to trusters

Moving consumers from Neutral to Trusters should be a priority for payers. The focus should be on getting people the right information through the right channel at the right consumer experience touchpoints—on being that reliable resource through the entire consumer journey. Because without healthcare consumers’ trust, engagement, loyalty and future growth hang in the balance.

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¹ Net Promoter, Net Promoter System, Net Promoter Score, NPS and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Fred Reichheld and Satmetrix Systems, Inc