A new study from IDC Health Insights finds that more than half of health plans will invest in trigger-based communications, which use data analytics to detect a consumer’s current status, and automatically initiate relevant communications, to prompt plan members to take health and wellness action.

According to the study, commissioned by Pitney Bowes Software, 50 percent of health plans surveyed indicated that their organizations considered consumer communications a strategic initiative. They also report increasing investments aimed at better consumer engagement.

[See also: Power to the people! Engaging patients to be engaged.]

IDC points out that the absence of a coordinated communication strategy becomes a liability as health plans execute more and more communications from multiple departments and business units. At least half of health plans surveyed reported initiating consumer communications from each of the major business units queried (marketing, health and wellness, customer service, care and disease management, billing, benefits and claims).

Other key findings include:

• Process integration and multichannel delivery are top of the agenda for healthcare IT execs, supporting the move from paper and phone to more diverse channels.
• Health plans have not adopted efficient and cost-effective communication models and are not yet leveraging new channels preferred by consumers.
• The concept of a senior corporate executive responsible for managing and executing an enterprise-wide coordinated communication strategy is only just emerging.

[See also: Payer alerts to physicians aim to boost preventive care.]

"Health plans interviewed perceived communications technology as a source of competitive advantage," said Janice Young, program director, Healthcare Payer IT Strategies at IDC Health Insights. "Analytics capabilities will play a significant role in promoting member wellness and improved patient outcomes."

To read "Health Payer Communications: Strategies for Engagement," click here.