Cigna Healthcare is member satisfaction with digital experience in business health programs, while UPMC Healthcare ranks highest in the Medicare Advantage program, a new report shows.
The JD Power US Healthcare Digital Experience study tracks satisfaction in five factors in order of importance: visual appeal, navigation, information/content, speed and telehealth. It is based on responses from 6,259 members of the 15 largest Medicare Advantage programs and 15 largest commercial health programs.
For the business plan, Cigna Healthcare scored 683 points with a 1,000-point range, followed by Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (680) and Centene (664). Carefirst scored 620 points.
In the Medicare Advantage program, UPMC Health Program scored 687 points, while UnitedHealthCare ranked second with 650 points and Cigna Healthcare ranked third with 644. Highmark ranked last with 603 points.
However, the report also found that health plans are lagging behind when it comes to digital experiences compared to other industries. Customer satisfaction with the app averaged 653 points out of 1,000 business plans, while Medicare Advantage plans have a customer satisfaction of 597, 794 points for full-service wealth management companies, real estate and casualty insurance companies, and 672 points for auto financing companies.
Furthermore, digital experience can affect how members view their health plans. Of programs with a satisfaction score of 801 points or above, 58% of business plan members are more likely to have a positive view of their employer, while 85% of Medicare Advantage members say they will definitely renew – more than twice the loyalty, which is a low-level experience (500 or above).
The biggest factor that affects digital satisfaction with business health plans and Medicare Advantage plans is “the ease of use of finding the information you need.” Overall member satisfaction increased by 83 points when demand was met, but the health plan failed to provide 39% of the time.
JD Power also found that overall satisfaction was highest among people using a mobile app for health plans (636 points) with a website (607 points) or a phone call (607 points).
“There is so much daily interaction with service providers that can be managed digitally, allowing customers to see a growing expectation of a world-class digital experience,” Eric McCready, director of digital solutions at JD Power, said in a statement. “However, health insurance providers need to do a lot to close the gaps in other industries. The most important factors driving members’ satisfaction with mobile apps and websites include making it easy to find the information you need; providing clear explanations of deductibles and self-paying; and providing intuitive navigation elements. Many plans simply don’t offer those foundations.”
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