R I S E N E W S AN UNPRECEDENTED AEP This year’s annual election period is taking place during a global pandemic and national election. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
nº4 - Fall 2020
THE LATEST NEWS Coming soon: RISE and Engagys to launch annual survey on state of consumer health engagement
RISE Association Executive Director Kevin Mowll to retire in mid-October
Video interview: Kevin Mowll reflects on his tenure at RISE and the future of the association
Have you checked out the RISE Talent Hub?
2021 nominations now open for RISE quality award
Study: MA serves beneficiaries with higher social risk factors
CMS: Medicare Advantage premiums plunge as enrollment soars
Regulatory roundup: CMS OKs Nebraska Medicaid expansion program; MA plans offer more supplemental benefits in 2021
CMS releases 2021 Star ratings for MA and Part D Prescription Drug Plans
READ OUR ENTIRE COLLECTION OF INSIGHTS AND ARTICLES
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MA&E COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
THE ONCE-IN-ALIFETIME AEP COMBINED PANDEMIC & NATIONAL ELECTION BACKDROP Who could have predicted the unbelievable context for this year’s AEP? Our marketing and sales teams have rapidly adapted to conditions in their local markets and communities in preparation for safe shopping, sales, and enrollment. Over the past six months, the RISE user groups concentrated on how to prepare for the AEP, making assumptions that nearly everything will need to substitute for traditional face-to-face selling. As we noted in the summer edition of the newsletter, this requires everyone on the sales representative and broker sides, as well as the client side, to have the necessary technical set ups. Telephonic enrollment will be a fallback mode for those buyers who are not comfortable with Zoom or Teams. Self-service online enrollment will also get the job done for others. With the election upon us shortly, we know that the general media and social media have been dominated by political and election topics, drowning out everything but the bursts of COVIDrelated news. We can only hope that after November 3 we will have another
opportunity to get our messages across regarding health plan choices to support the enrollment drive taking place at every Medicare Advantage plan. What will be the lessons we take away from this uber crazy time and experience? How will the local and regional plans perform with this backdrop and in the head-to-head competition with the national plans? Make sure you reserve your spot in the huge Medicare Marketing and Sales Summit 2021 taking place on February 21 to 23 in Las Vegas where we will tell that story and you can soak it all up. Join the conversation. Take a seat at the table with colleagues and peers as we figure out all of this together.
of the mainstream of RISE and launching off into retirement. After 36 years working for health plans and another seven for RISE, I am dialing things down a notch or two. However, I plan to spend some time monthly continuing with the Medicare Member Acquisition & Experience Community to ensure a smooth transition. So, while I will not be firing off articles or emails at the same pace once I retire, I hope to see you at Las Vegas and other events in 2021. That is something I very much look forward to, and I hope you do, as well. Kind regards and wishes for your health and safety and that of your families,
Keep on top of developments, trends, and strategic options, and many other changes in the landscape with this vibrant community that has found successful ways to compete and thrive. Check out our user groups inside the portal. The current events create a “cliff hanger” set of conditions for all of us. In my case, however, I will be stepping out
Kevin Mowll Non-Executive Director The RISE Association, Medicare Member Acquisition & Experience Community
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TAKEAWAYS ABOUT MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE SECOND RISE/ENGAGYS COVID-19 RESPONSE SURVEY RISE has once again teamed up with Engagys to find out how communications tactics have changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are five findings from our most recent survey. As the pandemic continues to evolve, so too does the health care industry’s response. As states reopen in varying degrees, concerns surrounding health consumer engagement abound. Many health consumers are afraid to receive the preventive care, and in some cases chronic care treatments, they so desperately need. While most experts agree that deferring such care will result in catastrophe, the health care industry has yet to determine the most effective way to communicate the need to consumers. Following our late March/April survey, RISE and Engagys have again collaborated, reaching out to health plans and others to help industry peers leverage one another’s experience during this challenging time. The second installment of this survey queried close to 50 industry professionals July 21-25 to determine how their communication tactics may have changed as the pandemic developed. Participants included executives from health care entities that spanned engagement and experience, operations, clinical, and administrative responsibilities. The survey focused on communications prioritization and channels, messaging and focus, and ongoing communications strategies. Here are five takeaways: 4
MA&E COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
Inbound call center activity is on the rise Forty-four percent of health plans surveyed reported increased call center activity in the last 30-60 days. This reported increase, says Kathleen Ellmore, managing director of Engagys, comes at a time during a rapidly changing environment, shifting priorities from deferring care to encouraging care, a geographically diverse landscape of lockdown, changing hospital capacity, increased access to testing locations, and more. “Adding to an already challenging environment is the inability of the now remote call center workforce to connect over the cube to ask more senior representatives questions on the fly. Pressure will be on to promote consistent knowledge management, with the ability to dynamically update and share new information as the environment continues to shift,” she says.
Members want information about COVID-19 tests, locations, costs, and coverage Asked about the COVID-19 topics people call about, most respondents say inbound calls related primarily to testing availability and locations as well as cost and coverage questions around COVID19 concerns or issues. Ellmore says the results of the survey indicate that even having lived with the
pandemic for half a year, COVID-19 is still the topic on everyone’s minds. “Ensuring that your call center representatives have efficient, automated tools to assist them in giving members the answers they need in real time will be critical to deliver on the promise of consumer experience,” she said.
Payer-provider collaboration is vital to help members seek care Nearly half (47.5 percent) of payer respondents said they have partnered with providers to help members seek care. Those partnerships include supporting mobile units staffed with providers in plan networks; incorporating provider names on brands into call scripts, emails, or other communications templates; cobranding with signage, promotion, or other approaches; and creating collateral including posters, videos, or other material to give to providers. Ellmore says partnering with providers is more important than ever to drive health consumers back into care. Early studies indicated that when hospital systems canceled all elective procedures, consumers were left with the impression that it was not safe to visit. In reality, providers were trying to conserve personal protective equipment. “As an industry we need to overcome the barriers that are in consumers’ minds today,” Ellmore says. “Lifting those
barriers is the only way we will prevent a tsunami of health costs and poor outcomes in years to come. Data show health plans beginning to implement creative initiatives to tackle this challenge: co-branding with providers, increased in-home visits, and mobile units to name a few.”
“As an industry we need to overcome the barriers that are in consumers’ minds today,” COVID-19 highlights member engagement challenges Top challenges to member engagement included insufficient use or enablement of digital channels, poor engagement of members who would benefit from available social determinants of health-related programs, and the insufficient measurement of communications effectiveness. Ellmore notes that health plans have known for some time that member outreach must improve. Seeking the most efficient, cost effective and engaging communication method is the ongoing challenge. “The movement away from
print communications is critical,” she says. “Leveraging digital channels that can be measured and optimized is the key to effective communications. While other industries have utilized digital outreach and ongoing measurement for decades, health care has lagged. COVID-19 has pushed the industry to make change— fast. This crisis highlights the need to be flexible and adapt.”
COVID-19 has accelerated existing consumer engagement-related trends The move to telehealth is the most obvious, and the importance of leveraging digital channels more generally to interact with consumers in real time and at their convenience is just as important, according to Ellmore. Neither of these trends emerged because of COVID-19, but the urgency to act is greater because of COVID-19. While plans understand the need to change their approach to consumer interactions, the information collected in the survey indicate that they struggle to make the changes fast enough.
elective procedures. Can health plans get creative and help offset their financial imbalance with investments aimed at improving infrastructure? We think so.
Editors Note: Ellmore (pictured below) joined RISE Executive Director Kevin Mowll to discuss the survey findings during a webinar, COVID-19 Communications Response Survey II: Engaging Health Consumers-Effective Communications in a Rapidly Shifting Landscape, in September. Topics included communication prioritization and channel mix; funding; messaging; call center activity; initiatives designed to draw consumers to seek care; member experience; and response plans and strategies. RISE Association members may access the webinar through the member portal.
“Health plans will need to initiate, sponsor from the highest organizational elevation, and fund centralized efforts to improve consumer engagement and experience,” she says. “We see health plans continuing to rely upon grass roots and often disjointed initiatives to effect change. This is insufficient. One great irony of the pandemic is the shift in Medical Loss Ratio due to deferred CLICK TO SEE OTHER ARTICLES
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Back to V RISE’s Medicare Marketing & Sales Summit set to return to the ‘entertainment capital of the world’ in 2021
We are optimistic that we will be able to gather together in Las Vegas in February with protocols in place to create a healthier and safer conference experience. 6
MA&E COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
Vegas Baby! their products and services can improve efficiencies in your organization.
RISE will once again take over Las Vegas in February 2021 for the can’t-miss Medicare Marketing & Sales event of the year.
It’s official. RISE plans to return to Caesars Palace February 21-23 for Medicare Marketing & Sales Summit 2021, the must-attend event for professionals in Medicare Advantage sales, marketing, product design, and member engagement. We are still finalizing the agenda, but check out all the new sessions and activities we’ve already planned:
Pre-conference workshops This year we’ve put together two, three-hour pre-conference afternoon workshops on Sunday, Feb. 21: Outsmart your Competition: Product Design and Competitive Analysis Essentials is a hands-on workshop for those responsible for product design, marketing execution, and sales innovation. Workshop attendees will learn each departments’ role and the tactical steps your teams can take to achieve cross-functional collaboration. Member Engagement and Customer Experience Bootcamp will provide proven tactics and innovative strategies to improve your member engagement and experience approaches and strengthen your bond with members.
Tools and Tech Spotlight We’ve set aside time each day of the main conference for attendees to hear from vendor solutions specialists on how
Roundtable Discussions
The second day of the main conference will feature interactive roundtable discussions in the exhibit hall on eight topics:
• Marketing to caregivers • Compliant marketing materials and provider oversight • Maximize visibility through Facebook, YouTube, and webinars • Innovative strategies for outside sales agents • Maximizing sales agents’ interaction to capture all data • Preparing for the new normal with a hybrid enrollment approach • Member engagement and satisfaction strategies to improve retention • Tactics to educate your membership to improve their use of technology
Scheduled sessions Here’s a sneak peek at just a few of our confirmed sessions: • A keynote address on how to ramp up your customer service and member engagement efforts pre- and post-pandemic • A deep dive into the outcomes of Deft Research’s annual AEP Shopping Study • A panel discussion on lessons learned from 2020 AEP during COVID-19 • A review of regulatory changes from CMS that impact sales and marketing • How to improve digital marketing during uncertain times • Results of the RISE-Engagys annual survey of health care consumer engagement practice
• A panel “state of the industry” discussion on Medicare marketing and sales in a post-pandemic world • Proven strategies to compete with national plans • An interactive discussion on unsuccessful strategies • The impact of the 2020 presidential election on Medicare marketing and sales • Action items for marketing, sales, product design, and member engagement to implement in 2021
Concurrent tracks Both days will feature concurrent track sessions for marketing and sales professionals. The marketing track will feature topics on digital marketing for younger age-ins, maximizing the ROI through your marketing mix pre- and post-pandemic, marketing strategies for ‘late to retire’ members, keys to competitive analysis for marketers, precise marketing campaigns to meet membership needs, and advanced web techniques to improve the user experience. The sales track will include sessions on tech, tools, and strategy to guarantee success, how to boost online enrollment through member engagement and guidance, new onboarding processes, keys to a balanced and optimal sales channel mix, how to improve the membership experience, creating the right supplemental benefit mix, and how to convert and capture new enrollees from Medicare supplement benefits. To learn more about our plans for the Medicare Marketing & Sales Summit 2021, click here for registration information, rates, and to download the brochure. CLICK TO SEE OTHER ARTICLES
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MEDICARE MEMBER ACQUISITION
TIPS TO DEVELOP A DUAL ENROLLMENT APPROACH AMID THE PANDEMIC The global pandemic has drastically limited in-person interactions and triggered the need for Medicare Advantage health plans to embrace a virtual world to connect with existing and prospective members. Here’s how one Florida health plan has maintained member connection, acquisition, and retention during this unsettling time. The outbreak of COVID-19 has altered how health plans can engage with members considerably. Some plans have embraced virtual approaches, whereas others continue to struggle with how to best reach their members. But there isn’t much of a choice whether to be virtual or not anymore, said Kristy Croom Tucker, director, member experience and acquisition, BayCare Health Plans, a featured speaker at RISE’s recent virtual seminar, Converting During COVID: Winning Strategies for Medicare Member Acquisition & Experience. BayCare, like other health plans, was completely unprepared for COVID-19, but was able to pivot quickly when cases began to spread throughout the United States, Croom Tucker explained.
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MA&E COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
Here are four key strategies she shared during her presentation on how to prepare for a dual (in-person and virtual) enrollment approach:
1. Explore which virtual platform will provide the experience you want to create. Finding the virtual platform that best meets your needs is the most important decision when planning to go virtual, said Croom Tucker. There are several platforms to choose from, such as Microsoft Teams, Vimeo, Webex, GoToMeeting, and Zoom. To determine which platform to use, evaluate the kind of experience you wish to create for your members. Croom Tucker recommended asking the following questions to clearly understand your needs and narrow your platform search: • Would you like video capabilities? • Will you need to present slide shows? • Do you want verbal interaction throughout a presentation? • How many people will join a virtual meeting at once? • How would you like to handle Q&A sessions?
User testing is also an important method to ensure a platform is the right fit. For example, once BayCare narrowed its search down to two platforms, it had a member advisory group test the different features of each platform, , including the registration experience, confirmation emails, level of ease to add the event to calendars, access to event information, frequency of reminders, level of ease to join the meeting, and any complications with audio and video.
2. Develop guidelines for a virtual sales process. A virtual environment is a new approach for many health plans, and it requires clear communication on the sales process such as how sales agents will interact with participants, how to capture consent for follow-up, and how to continue to create a personal experience in a virtual meeting, noted Croom Tucker. “Kindness and compassion are important, so it was important for us to find ways to connect with people beyond just delivering a presentation,” she said. To ensure each sales agent was prepared for virtual meetings, BayCare performed test runs with each agent to
a confirm proper lighting and sound quality as well as to ensure no clutter or questionable items were visible in the background. Croom Tucker also suggested plans coach sales agents on dress code and the power of voice inflection and smiles.
Tucker, who recommended sales agents make reminder calls and emails leading up to meetings.
3. Establish a thorough marketing experience.
Virtual meetings and in-person meetings can work well together when it is safe to do so. To determine the right time to do this, Croom Tucker advised checking state mandates and polling the community to understand attitudes and beliefs on COVID-19.
There are three components to consider for an effective marketing experience, according to Croom Tucker: • Promotion: Develop a media mix, messaging, and lead mining to gain interest in virtual events. • Scheduling: Determine the frequency of virtual meetings, including the day of week, time, and rate of recurrence. Consider conducting a pilot series of webinars on different days/times to gauge the schedule that attracts the most members. • Registration: Make registration as easy as possible through a main website, landing page, and automated confirmations. No-show rates for meetings are likely to increase when held virtually, so consistent reminders are critical, noted Croom
4. Accompany virtual meetings with in-person meetings when possible.
If your plan decides to go forward with in-person meetings, make sure to communicate clear guidelines regarding the use of masks, the number of people permitted to participate, social distancing, and screening calls prior to events, she said. On-site at the meeting, ensure you have several signs that indicate the precautions, and that there is appropriate distancing between attendees, masks and hand sanitizers available for all attendees and presenters, and that you place materials or snacks on seats in advance to avoid the need to pass around items during the meeting.
Although a home visit is the last resort, it may be the only option for some people Although a home visit is the last resort, it may be the only option for some people. In that instance, she advises you make sure agents and prospects are pre-screened, wear masks, maintain distance, avoid passing papers, and consider asking prospects to sign a waiver.
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UPCOMING EVENTS CMS Bid Bootcamp January 21-22, 2021 A Live-Streaming Virtual Event
MMS 2021
VISIT THE EVENT WEBSITE
VISIT THE EVENT WEBSITE
February 21-23, 2021 Caesars Palace Las Vegas
AEP Medicare Readiness Summit Save the Date for June 2021
Medicare Product Design Master Class Save the Date for September 2021
VISIT THE EVENT WEBSITE
VISIT THE EVENT WEBSITE
QUESTIONS? REACH OUT TO OUR TEAM
Ilene MacDonald Editorial Director imacdonald@risehealth.org
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MA&E COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
Tricia Rosetti Content Marketer trosetti@risehealth.org
Tracy Anderson Marketing Coordinator tanderson@risehealth.org
Debbie Weidrick Graphic Designer dweidrick@risehealth.org
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