Beginning in July 2023, Wakefield Research surveyed 1,000 individuals across the country on behalf of Kyruus to gain an understanding of how consumer preferences for finding, selecting, and accessing care have evolved.
In comparison to previous years, health plans have made significant progress in improving member experience, but critical challenges remain. Throughout the report, consumers reiterate their desire to play a more active, independent role in finding and scheduling care, and health plans must adapt in order to keep members engaged.
Here are the top three things members want, need, and expect from their health plans that they are not receiving today:
1. Accurate and Consistent Provider Profiles
This year, 29% of consumers ranked health plans as the most trusted source, falling shortly behind healthcare organizations and jumping nearly 10 percentage points in the past year.
However, data inaccuracies risk eroding the trust health plans have worked hard to build. Nearly 80% of consumers say finding inaccurate provider information would impact their level of trust, and 40% say they have already found inaccurate provider information.
> Take Action: What Health Plans Can Do Today
Address accuracy and consistency issues of provider data by ensuring that updated information from providers is reflected in the user search experience.
2. Additional Guidance on Understanding and Navigating Options
Along with accurate and consistent information, members also want to trust that their health plans will provide guidance in navigating and understanding their healthcare options.
Members are trying to take an active role in this through the use of transparency tools. Nearly 80% of all consumers and 90% of Millennials have used these tools in the past 12 months.
However, awareness of transparency tools and their benefits is declining, and even with access to the tools, most members need additional help understanding their options. This is highlighted when looking at Millennials, who are the most active users of transparency tools and 82% of whom strongly agree they need more help navigating what they find.
> Take Action: What Health Plans Can Do Today
Provide additional guidance through communication strategies that promote the benefits of transparency tools along with educational programs, such as a Healthcare 101 course, to help consumers better understand their options.
3. Seamless, Self-Service Digital Tools
Members want user-friendly digital solutions that help them find and schedule care with providers who match their personal preferences, such as cost, clinical expertise, and availability.
For example, nearly 90% of consumers say appointment availability is extremely or very important when selecting care, and nearly 80% agree they would schedule appointments directly from their health plan’s website or app if given the ability to do so.
> Take Action: What Health Plans Can Do Today
Enhance your member-facing websites and apps with detailed provider profiles and a convenient, user-friendly online scheduling solution.
For more insights and trends, download Kyruus’ 2023 Care Access Benchmark Report for Health Plans.
