Decision Point Healthcare Finds Low Patient Engagement a Major Factor in Health Plan Disenrollment

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Nov 4, 2014) - Decision Point Healthcare Solutions (Decision Point), the leader in providing engagement analytics solutions to the health care industry, finds members who had at least one visit with their doctor are far less likely to disenroll from the health plan than members with no visits. Decision Point found that disenrollment behavior is at least partially related to a member's experience and engagement with the entire healthcare system -- not just their health plan.

Citing an analysis of over 500,000 Medicare subscribers, Decision Point found members who are not engaged with the healthcare system are more likely to disenroll voluntarily than engaged members. Comparing healthier patients to sicker patients (measured in terms of their number of diseases), Decision Point found that:

• Sicker patients with no doctor's visits were two times more likely to disenroll than sicker patients who have a doctor's visit
• Healthier patients with no doctor's visits were almost 1.5 times more likely to disenroll than healthier patients who have a doctor's visit

Dogu Celebi, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer of Decision Point Healthcare, explains, "Patient engagement plays a significant role in creating member loyalty. Loyalty comes from maintaining high levels of positive engagement throughout the member's experience. This cycle begins when an individual initially signs up with the plan, and continues with providing support to the member through their life and health events. Plans that are focused on relevant, meaningful communications targeted to the right people at the right time, and framed in a way that's engaging, understandable and actionable are the ones that will garner greater loyalty."

Open Enrollment - data analytics supports year round planning and member loyalty
Savvy health plans strategize year round for open enrollment season, with efforts designed for proactive member engagement across the entire medical eco-system. Plans that fine-tune member interactions and provide individuals with what they need to better engage with the plan and their doctors will likely see a greater level of loyalty. Improving engagement is about providing members what they need, when they need it -- in a language and framework that provides the greatest motivation for behavior change.

Improving retention and satisfaction require in-depth knowledge of member behavior and the factors that influence decision-making. By sifting through millions of data points, engagement analytics can identify behavioral risk and provide insights into why an individual might disengage, report dissatisfaction, or disenroll. When combined with a clear understanding of which communications methods -- phone, SMS, email, etc. -- resonate best with which member populations, plans can achieve better engagement outcomes.

Interactive Resources
Learn more about Decision Point's retention and satisfaction solutions.

Read the Decision Point blog: "The New Frontier: Patient Engagement and Enrollment Longevity."

About Decision Point
Decision Point Healthcare Solutions was founded on the principle that health plan clinical, financial and operational performance can be greatly improved by making informed predictions on strategic decisions. Decision Point delivers ground-breaking solutions that deploy "Micro-segmentation" and "Micro-targeting " -- marketing techniques that have been used by consumer brands to advance market share and promote customer loyalty -- to improve quality, satisfaction and retention. For more information about Decision Point, please visit www.decisionpointhealth.com.