Consumers are showing an increased demand for patient-centric portals with simplified transparency. More specifically, healthcare payers are seeking a convenient way to receive and review electronic health records (EHR) within the current market. With these recent developments, 68% of physicians believe they are prepared to provide quality in the midst of a changing industry, as stated by Healthcare Finance. This innovative revolution has consumers interested in technologies that will aid in managing their health.
Driven by the pressure to adopt to a technological generation and reduce costs, the 2019 US NextWave Health Survey asked 2,428 consumers and 158 physicians their present opinion on implementing new technologies. With such positive responses received, the survey dug deeper and found 62% would like to see simplified access to patient portals and personal health plan data. On the contrary, when consumers were asked about overall performance of the health system, responders were generally divided. Typically, older patients are more satisfied with less technology and the younger generation are more critical of the current system.
Characteristically, invested healthcare consumers believe sharing their medical data drives confidentiality concerns but ultimately contributes to the greater good. According to Healthcare Finance, “Although privacy remains a concern, many view health-related technology as attractive solutions for improving health and wellness and accessibility to comprehensive, individual health information.” In other words, making one’s healthcare more public within the technology space has great value. Consumers respond positively to applications and innovations that demonstrate depth and improvements to overall health. Although the survey revealed people are more open about sharing medical information, a large percentage are hesitant about disclosing their healthcare history to payers. About 44% are not likely to expose daily health activities or any medical data with providers.
Overall, the 2019 US NextWave Health Survey discovered that convenience is now the number one factor that influences provider and consumer decisions on selecting care. Healthcare Finance explains “Traditionally, factors such as referrals and insurance coverage were the main selection criteria for patients. No more. While those factors are still very important, the patient of the modern age wants care when they want it and how they want it — and they’re not shy about shopping around.” Considering our current digital landscape, healthcare must acclimate to the changing times and consumer needs. With convenience at the top of the wish-list, it is vital for companies in the health insurance space to build simplified processes and manage large amounts of data quickly and efficiently.
What is PCM?
Plan Catalog Management (PCM) is Softheon’s Clarity’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution surrounded around the user-experience of submitting, storing and managing plan data. PCM was designed with two major goals in mind:
- The platform should support the Qualified Health Plan (QHP) System for Electric Rate and Form Filing (SERFF) data format thoughtfully and efficiently.
- The platform should be extensible and support plan data in various industries (dental, vision, life, car insurance, etc.) at no expense to the effectiveness of QHP support.
The PCM process is fully automated, flexible, scalable, and involves less labor from the carriers. All SERFF data is stored within Softheon Web entities. This solution works in continuum with Softheon’s product, Clarity, our customizable anonymous shopping platform that guides consumers to the plan that best suits their needs.
Using our Clarity decision support tool, consumers can compare plan types, rates, deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, provider and drug coverage, and much more. The data gathered from our health plan shopping portal is displayed and simplified by our latest innovation, PCM.
For more information, please email Clarity@softheon.com
Sources:
- https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/consumers-and-physicians-say-convenience-must-be-foundation-any-health-strategy
- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190523005515/en/Patient-Portal-Market—Growth-Trends-Forecast
- https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/chia-good-source-of-data-about-mass-healthcare-2/
- https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/cms-looks-to-develop-consumer-comparative-pricing-portal/531280/
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