Health insurers are increasingly offering additional services, like telehealth, as part of their mobile app solutions in an effort to drive customers to their markets — and its working, according to CNBC.
Engaging customers where they are — like on their phones — helps increase savings and builds customer loyalty. Now, more than half of health systems have increased investments in digital health tools.
"The more virtual touchpoints we create, the more engagement we get," Mario Schlosser, CEO of insurer Oscar Health, told CNBC.
In fact, during their year's flu season, Oscar noted it engaged in virtual interactions with about two-thirds of its members — a nearly 50 percent increase from 2016's flu season. This increase not only means greater utilization, but it has helped reduce costs for other conditions. For example, since asthma can be treated via telehealth, the cost of a telehealth visit for asthma-related care is nearly $686 less than an in-person appointment.
Oscar plans to up its digital engagement game even more this year due to a surge in enrollment. It's signed up 255,000 members across six states — a 150 percent increase over 2017.
Hospitals, too, are taking advantage of patients' digital interest. Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has seen digital patient interactions surpass in-person visits. The health system had more than 140,000 video visits and 8.4 million telephone visits with its members last year, a number that is now almost 12 million.
"What it does is support greater engagement between the patient and the doctor," Pat Conolly, MD, Kaiser's executive vice president of information technology, told CNBC. "Every opportunity to connect and reinforce recommendations or answer questions adds up to hopefully better adherence and hopefully better outcomes."
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