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Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
October 2016 A Look Back at the Health Insurance Industry through Web and Digital Enhancements
In our last whitepaper, we covered events affecting the healthcare industry from April through June, including the spread of the Zika virus and the fight against the opioid addiction epidemic. Building on these themes, this quarter we also examine how Healthcare Monitor coverage group firms reacted in the digital space to major industry and current issues, such as natural disaster and crisis programs and decreased participation in the 2017 individual markets, as well as key digital areas that saw significant changes, such as doctor locator and cost estimator tools and mobile apps. Here are the highlights of major updates across the health insurance industry within our 14-plan coverage group.
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Table of Contents
Mergers and Acquisitions ............................................................................................. 2
Affordable Care Act ...................................................................................................... 3
2017 Open Enrollment ................................................................................................. 3
The Zika Virus ............................................................................................................... 5
The Opioid Epidemic .................................................................................................... 5
Natural Disaster and Crisis Assistance .......................................................................... 6
Workplace Health and Wellness Programs ................................................................... 6
Health and Wellness Platforms .................................................................................... 7
Revamps, Design Changes and New Capabilities .......................................................... 8
Doctor Locator and Cost Estimator Tools ................................................................... 11
Teladoc Services ......................................................................................................... 14
Mobile Apps and Tools ............................................................................................... 14
About Corporate Insight ............................................................................................. 16
About Healthcare Monitor ......................................................................................... 16
Connect with Corporate Insight ................................................................................. 17
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Mergers and Acquisitions
Between June and August of 2015, four coverage group health plans found themselves in merger and
consolidation negotiations. Aetna and Humana released public site statements regarding the acquisition
agreement, and Cigna announced that it had reached an agreement to merge with Anthem. Since then, the health
plans, as well as the Department of Justice, have been in negotiations about the acquisitions and their effects on
consumers and the health insurance industry. In response to the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to
block the transaction between Aetna and Humana, each of those plans published press releases on their
sites in July defending the pending merger by describing its benefits, including more Medicare options and
better quality healthcare, as well as by offering a rebuttal of some of the DOJ’s reasons for blocking the
merger. Aetna Chairman and CEO Mark Bertolini also was featured in a video on the Aetna public site
commenting on the DOJ decision.
Similarly, in July, Cigna published a press release discussing the DOJ’s position on the Cigna and Anthem
merger, reminding consumers that it remains focused on delivering value and innovative solutions to advance
its goals of better member health.
One month later, Aetna and Humana published an identical press release on their public sites announcing
their agreement to sell certain of their respective Medicare Advantage assets to Molina Healthcare, subject
to the successful completion of Aetna’s acquisition of Humana. As a result of the transactions, Molina is
expected to gain approximately 290,000 Medicare Advantage members in 21 states.
Aetna Public Site Press Release Banner
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Affordable Care Act
This year, several large insurers have decided to pull out of the 2017 individual health insurance exchanges
formed following the passing of the Affordable Care Act. In August, Aetna Chairman and CEO Mark T. Bertolini
published a public site statement announcing reduced participation in the 2017 individual public exchange
(from 778 to 242 counties). The plan will continue to offer an off-exchange individual product option for 2017
to consumers in the majority of counties where it offered individual public exchange products in 2016.
In an August public site press release, Kaiser Permanente CEO Bernard Tyson expressed the health plan’s
stance on the Affordable Care Act exchanges, admitting that while there is some turbulence in the
marketplaces, overall Kaiser Permanente is optimistic, believes that regulatory issues will stabilize and does
not plan to abandon them anytime soon.
2017 Open Enrollment
In September Aetna and UnitedHealthcare promoted the 2017 open enrollment season on their public sites,
with Aetna including public site graphic links to health insurance education resources and UnitedHealthcare
advertising Medicare Open Enrollment through a new homepage graphic link to its redesigned Medicare
Made Clear microsite.
Aetna Public Homepage and Health Insurance Page Promotions
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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UnitedHealthcare Medicare Made Clear Microsite Homepage
UnitedHealthcare Public Homepage Graphic Link
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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The Zika Virus
Since February 2016, coverage group health plans have been
providing Zika virus information and prevention details on their
public and member sites. In July, Humana published a public
site article advising individuals on virus protection practices
and a brief history of the Zika virus; in August, Aetna released
a public homepage image promoting a mosquito facts and
myths article.
The Opioid Epidemic
As we’ve tracked and covered this topic in previous quarters, health plans have continued to reduce opioid
misuse and addiction. This quarter, Aetna, Cigna and Kaiser Permanente promoted several public site resources,
including articles on opioid and heroin overprescribing and details on the programs and steps they have in place
to help with the issue.
In July, Kaiser Permanente promoted Safe Med LA’s initiative to implement safe prescribing guidelines at 80
urgent care clinics operated by 10 major physician groups and health systems throughout the county,
including Kaiser Permanente and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. This approach
addresses the opioid epidemic by focusing on safe prescribing, ensuring access to medication-assisted
addiction treatment and overdose prevention medication, safe drug disposal, and community education. In
August, Aetna published data on providers in the U.S. who may be “super-prescribers” of opioids and not
realize it. In light of this data, the plan has set up a program in which Aetna’s chief medical officer, Dr. Harold
Paz, is reaching out with personal letters to almost 1,000 doctors who refill opioid prescriptions at a
considerably higher rate than their peers. In September, Cigna announced its sponsorship of NPR’s
Generation Listen live events, September 1 in Atlanta and September 19 in Chicago, that focus on the opioid
epidemic.
Aetna Public Site Article
Aetna Homepage Graphic Links
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Natural Disaster and Crisis Assistance
Between July and September, four health plans from our coverage group provided extended services to members
affected by several natural disasters and crisis. In July and August, Kaiser Permanente published a notice aimed
to help Southern California members affected by recent wildfires and an article with tips on staying healthy during
wildfire season. In early August, southeastern Louisiana experienced historic flooding that affected more than
40,000 homes, with more than 30,000 people rescued and another 11,000 in shelters. During that time, Aetna,
Humana and UnitedHealthcare published public site announcements offering information on help services for
members who need to fill prescriptions and providing employee assistance program numbers and student
assistance and behavioral health helplines.
UnitedHealthcare Public Homepage Graphic Link
Workplace Health and Wellness Programs As workplace wellness programs have caught on, health-minded employers are benefiting from healthier and
more productive employees with fewer lost workdays. Fittingly, health plans have promoted a variety of
employer health and wellness studies and programs this quarter, primarily through press releases or articles
within health plans’ public site news room pages or portals. Highlights from Q3 include:
In July, Humana promoted its flexible work policy program that allows
its own employees to work from home, shift their schedules or
otherwise alter when, where and how they do their jobs, which has
created high levels of engagement and efficiency. In a separate public
site article, Humana’s Vice President of Associate Well-being Tim State
promoted the health plan’s employee well-being programs and talked
about the need to foster an employee community that will help create
better relationships with members they serve while imbuing personal
meaning in their own work. In August, Humana announced the release
of eMindful live, an online mindfulness training program available to
employers. With eMindful, employees can participate in live webinar-
style classes at their work computer, on a mobile device, or in a group
setting. Participants can hear, speak with and interact with the expert
instructor as well as with other class participants. In August, Aetna
published a public site article that promotes the health plan’s
workplace health programs and includes research and studies that
show the benefit of creating healthy days (as opposed to sick days) for
greater productivity.
Aetna Public Site Infographic
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Health and Wellness Platforms This quarter, UnitedHealthcare and Oxford Health Plans unveiled Rally, its new data-driven, member-focused
health and wellness platform that recommends customized “missions,” or simple activities to help improve diet,
fitness and mood every day. UnitedHealthcare has actively promoted Rally on its sites since May through press
releases and video advertisements with celebrity sponsors, including Kevin Hart. The new site features a gamified
health survey, personalized activity recommendations, individual and team goals, daily content and online
communities. Users can link wearable devices to their Rally accounts to track their movement, check their
progress, share information and compete against others in challenges
Rally Platform Dashboard Page
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Revamps, Design Changes and New Capabilities The second quarter saw several website revamps as well as the introduction of new programs and online tools.
Specifically, Kaiser Permanente redesigned its public site Medicare Learning Center in July with information and
details on plan options and enrollment. The plan also added a new option on its public quote tool that allows users
to retrieve a quote for themselves, a spouse, a domestic partner or a dependent.
Kaiser Permanente Public Quote Tool
September saw the introduction of two personal action plan functionalities on the member sites of Kaiser
Permanente and UnitedHealthcare. The Kaiser Permanente Personal Action Plan alerts members of a test
procedure or medical action that may require their attention, such as receiving a flu vaccination; provides
information on why it is important to perform the action; and links to related resources and the appointment
scheduler tool.
Kaiser Permanente Member Personal Action Plan Page and Flu Vaccination Section
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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The UnitedHealthcare Health Checklist is a personal action plan housed within the member site Care & Cost
tool that features a list of commonly used preventive services for members based on their gender and age.
The checklist provides general guidelines and a search result of providers for each service. The general
guidelines include information on why the service is important, who needs it and what to expect and ask
members if they have already completed the service. Completed services are displayed in green.
UnitedHealthcare Member Cost & Care Tool – Health Checklist Tab (Truncated)
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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In September, UnitedHealthcare also added live chat capabilities to its member site through which members
can chat with an advocate about their coverage, benefits or another inquiry. The live chat is accessible from
a link on the site’s universal header and renders a prechat screen in which members enter their inquiry topic.
Live chat is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT.
UnitedHealthcare Live Chat Prechat Options
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Doctor Locator and Cost Estimator Tools Continuing efforts for more transparency with costs of healthcare services as well as to provide better reviews of
providers and correct, up-to-date provider information, health plans are redesigning and introducing new
functionalities to their doctor locator and cost estimator tools. In July, CareFirst BCBS redesigned the public and
member site Find a Doctor tool by dividing the process into separate steps rather than a single-page form
with input fields. In the past, BCBS of Illinois, BCBS of Massachusetts and UnitedHealthcare have performed
similar step-based revamps of their provider locator tools.
CareFirst BCBS Find a Doctor Search Tool and Options
In September, the UnitedHealthcare provider locator tool added Medicare plan provider search options as well
as a provider survey option for users to rate their experience with the providers based on five review categories,
including level of trust, bedside manner and likelihood the user would recommend the doctor.
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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UnitedHealthcare Provider Locator Tool – Individual Provider Profile Page
UnitedHealthcare Public Site Provider Locator Tool
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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In September BCBS of Illinois added hospital safety scores to the member site healthcare services cost estimator
tool. The tool displays Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Scores from A to F based on the facility’s ability to prevent errors,
accidents, injuries and infections. The grade is displayed on the individual facility details page and leads to the
existing Hospital Safety Score site providing information on how to use the score as well as a detailed report and
analysis of the facility.
BCBS of Illinois Member Site Provider Finder and Cost Estimator Tool – Individual Facility Information Page (Truncated)
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Teladoc Services Telehealth services continue to be a topic of discussion and development in healthcare. Most health plans in the
Healthcare Monitor coverage group offer their members access to third-party teladoc platforms; in September,
Harvard Pilgrim joined the list, offering its members Doctor on Demand services, which it promoted directly on
the public landing page. In July, Aetna promoted psychiatric telehealth services through a public site press release,
a growing field within telemedicine.
Harvard Pilgrim Public Site Landing Page
Mobile Apps and Tools Although member adoption of health plans’ mobile apps has not been as successful as it is in other industries, the
majority of insurers in our coverage set continue to promote and update their apps to increase awareness and
usage. This quarter, Anthem BCBS and Empire BCBS promoted their mobile app, Anthem/Empire Anywhere,
through banner images on their public homepages leading to a promotional video tutorial of the app. The
banner, however, does not provide direct access to the Android or iOS app stores. In September,
UnitedHealthcare released a public site press release detailing several new features on its Health4Me mobile
app, including personalized care notifications that automatically alert members if they are missing
recommended medical services; medication management capabilities that enable members to search for
pharmacies and estimate drug costs, refill medications and review prescription claims while still at the
doctor’s office; TouchID login; and the ability to use ApplePay to pay medical bills.
Anthem Public Homepage Image
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Below is a table of all health plan app updates from July to September 2016:
Firm & App Device What’s New
Aetna Mobile Android and iOS
Life insurance benefit program information added
Members of Aetna Disability can schedule a call back with a
Customer Care representative
Members of Aetna Abilities have access to tools and support
for their personalized action plan
Work disability accommodation request capability
Three-month view of disability and leave absences
BCBS of Massachusetts
MYBLUE Android
Improved Find-A-Doc, electronic claims status and enhanced
alerts
CareFirst Android and iOS
Updated Find a Doctor tool design simplifies search process
Options for vision and mental health providers and facilities
provider type on the Find a Doctor tool.
MyHumana
iOS Added pharmacy deductible and stage information for
Medicare members with prescription drug plans
Android
Added year-to-date summary for medical, dental and
pharmacy claims
Added a read-only Profile section
Kaiser Permanente
iOS
Northern California members can now view their mental
health appointments
Enhanced navigation menu
Android
Spanish language option now available in Southern California
and Northwest states
Membership cards now available digitally in Mid-Atlantic
states
Photo option for digital membership cards now available in
Georgia and Northwest states
Video Visits application upgrade
Added a post-Video Visit survey
Added Video Visit email and push notifications
UnitedHealthcare
Health4Me Android and iOS
Members can schedule a call back during business hours
Personalized care notifications
Medication management capabilities
Fingerprint-enabled sign-in (TouchID)
Apple Pay allows users to pay medical bills (iOS only)
Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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About Corporate Insight Corporate Insight provides competitive intelligence, consulting and user experience research to the nation's
leading healthcare, financial and education institutions. For more than two decades, the firm has tracked
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design, navigation, functionality and usability across mobile platforms, social media and other emerging areas.
Corporate Insight offers subscription-based Monitor services in 14 verticals, including healthcare, higher
education alumni relations and banking, along with custom research, digital capabilities audits, special studies,
user research and other consulting services.
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media strategy, tools, educational content and wellness programs. To learn more, visit
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Healthcare Monitor 2016 Q3 Trends & Highlights
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Connect with Corporate Insight CONTACT US
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http://healthcaremonitor.corporateinsight.com/
CONNECT WITH CI
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JOSE SANTANA
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