Health plan champions share key strategies

Focus locally and act with local autonomy

As a hospital, are you contracting with managed care organizations that have the right stuff? As a health plan, do you have what it takes to be a champion?

Nine health plans, rated by their members as superior, share seven outstanding service strategies, including a local focus, access to national or regional resources, and a commitment to quality.

The nine health plans were identified by Sachs Group, a health care consulting firm based in Evanston, IL, through an analysis of 85,000 consumers in 27 major markets. They were rated superior based on a combination of 24 factors grouped into four categories: access, convenience, quality, and general perception/value.

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According to Sachs’ report on HMOs, "Champions of Satisfaction," these nine health plans successfully implement seven key strategies. Their strategies are as follows:

• Listen to the customer.

Consistently listen and respond to the customer by giving them choice, clearly explaining benefits, and resolving problems on the first call.

• Partner with physicians.

Foster outstanding relationships, define roles and responsibilities of the plan and physicians, share financial rewards equitably, and maintain open lines of communication.

• Commit to quality.

Invest heavily in quality initiatives and in the information systems needed to communicate the results to their partners, physicians, employers, and enrollees.

• Focus locally.

Meet market needs with local autonomy and act at the local level.

• Tap into larger resources.

Take advantage of regional or national resources, maximize economies of scale, and shared lessons.

• Build brand equity. Invest heavily in building brand equity as health care heads toward becoming a commodity product, making brand image and reputation critical to a plan’s success.

• Share a vision. Understand that health care is personal and impacts individuals’ lives and commit to making high quality health care even better.