When people have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage in their own health, better outcomes are much more achievable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this conclusion was based on a research review that linked better health outcomes to higher levels of activation (having the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be engaged in their health) and health literacy. Active participation and engagement are also tied to higher satisfaction. Payers can use these insights to further health outcome goals by taking steps to improve member participation in a few key areas: Position care managers to better...
How Can You Meet Healthcare Expectations of Millennials?
This post is the final post in a five-part series highlighting top insights from our white paper, Personalized Value-Based Care: Effective Multi-Generational Care Management Strategies. It’s true that meeting the health needs of individuals across generations is partly about age-related clinical factors. But there’s much more to consider. Addressing generation-specific attitudes, concerns, and preferences regarding healthcare, as well as individual non-clinical factors that impact health, is integral to member engagement and better outcomes. Here, we explore how organizations can improve delivery of personalized, value-based care at scale for Millennial health populations. What Makes Millennials Unique When It Comes to Healthcare?...
5 Strategies to Re-Engage Members in a Post-Covid World
The worst of COVID-19 may be retreating into the rearview, but the pandemic’s effect on general population health lingers. Whether it was limited access to care, fear of exposure, or tangential factors like lack of childcare, people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds put preventive care on pause. That has led to: Delays in care Missed cancer screenings and colonoscopies (the American Cancer Society reported significant drops in cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer screenings in 2020) Missed well visits Missed behavioral health therapy As recently as 2022, a survey by the Prevent Cancer Foundation found that 50 percent of Americans...
3 Reasons Why It’s Time for You to Update Your Utilization Management Solution
In the last few years, challenges related to prior authorization have created inefficiencies in health care that negatively impact both health outcomes for members and the costs both payers and members must pay. That’s why in December 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed Rule CMS-0057-P. The new rule is designed to advance interoperability goals and improve prior authorization processes to enable more accurate, more effective care for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. And it is one of the top reasons why we see companies researching an update to their utilization management (UM) systems. See below for the...
6 Reasons Why Predictive Analytics are the Future of Healthcare
Healthcare powered by predictive analytics is transforming the healthcare space. From enabling more accurate and proactive care delivery and better patient outcomes to streamlining provider processes and workflows. And with continued advances in machine learning, and healthcare technologies constantly honing the accuracy of predictive models and algorithms, it’s clear that the future of healthcare will be driven by predictive models. Predictive analytics can shift care approaches to become more proactive, including: Better inform and guide care decisions with real-time patient data and 360-views Streamline care delivery models with preconfigured risk notifications and tasks Identify patient behavior patterns and care gaps...
How Can You Engage Generation Z in Healthcare?
This is the final post in a five-part series highlighting top insights from our white paper, Personalized Value-Based Care: Effective Multi-Generational Care Management Strategies. It’s true that meeting the health needs of individuals across generations is partly about age-related clinical factors. But there’s much more to consider. Addressing generation-specific attitudes, concerns, and preferences regarding healthcare, as well as individual non-clinical factors that impact health, is integral to member engagement and better outcomes. Here, we explore how organizations can improve the delivery of personalized, value-based care at scale for Generation Z health populations. What Makes Generation Z Unique When It Comes...
How Can You Deliver Value-Based Care that Engages Baby Boomers?
This post is part of a five-part series highlighting top insights from our white paper, Personalized Value-Based Care: Effective Multi-Generational Care Management Strategies. It’s true that meeting the health needs of individuals across generations is partly about age-related clinical factors. But there’s more to consider. Addressing generation-specific attitudes, concerns, and preferences regarding healthcare, as well as individual non-clinical factors that impact health, is integral to driving member engagement and better outcomes. Here, we explore how organizations can improve the delivery of personalized, value-based care at scale for Baby Boomer health populations. What Makes Baby Boomers Unique When It Comes to...
Three Benefits to Having Care Management and Utilization Management Software on a Single Platform
In theory, utilization management (UM) should reduce the overall cost of care while improving outcomes for health plan members. But for many payers and providers using homegrown solutions and outdated, siloed platforms, the reality is much different. Without the ability to sync and share data across teams and departments, it’s nearly impossible to gain a comprehensive understanding of member health and care services. Moreover, manual processes and burdensome paperwork take valuable time away from what matters most: delivering the best patient care. Tight authorization timeframes and rules can also put a tremendous amount of stress on UM teams. And member...
How Can We Improve Health Literacy among Medicaid Populations?
Inadequate health literacy affects nearly 36% of the adult U.S. population and is found in disproportionately higher rates among Medicaid-eligible populations, according to the Center for Health Care Strategies. In fact, one study estimates that more than 25% of uninsured, Medicare, and Medicaid populations may have low health literacy skills. This can negatively impact quality of life and health outcomes for members as well as drive up the cost of care. Why Prioritize Health Literacy? The U.S. government’s Healthy People 2030 initiative defines health literacy as “the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform...
Future of Care Chat – Episode 1 – An Inside Look at 2023
In 2023, we expect to see the continuation of health payers and organizations shifting to value-based care models with a focus on health equity. Combined with the economic headwinds, we’re also expecting to see a higher prioritization on member engagement and activation, addressing social determinants of health, and ensuring optimal data interoperability. Here’s the inside scoop from some of the leaders at VirtualHealth to discuss what we are hearing from clients and in the broader market about healthcare in 2023.