Welltok's Blog

True Healthcare Engagement is Not About "Likes" and "Thumbs Up"

For many years, digital consumer engagement meant getting eyeballs on things, namely ads and getting people to click through those ads to generate revenue, but taking action is the only metric that matters in health.

The core concept of consumer health is the notion that consumers take more responsibility and control of their health. For so long, healthcare has largely been paternalistic – a doctor diagnosing care, a nurse providing discharge orders, an insurance company offering a well-baby checkup. It’s only in recent years, with the cost of care shifting and the definition of health expanding beyond clinical care, that consumers have become more central players.

This has led to organizations including health plans, providers and employers to focus more on getting people “engaged” in their health before they get sick to keep costs down and improve overall population health. Furthermore, the rise of digital health – from tracking devices for sleep or activity monitoring, to mobile applications for guided meditation, nutrition and more, has compounded the idea of engaging individuals. With this massive intersection of digital and consumer health, it is no wonder that engagement materialized as a desirable and measurable goal. Yet, in reality, engagement is unsubstantiated and meaningless on its own.

The Role of SDOH in Developing a Population Health Strategy

As Welltok's Director of Consumer Journey, my days are absorbed with mapping individual health journeys and identifying all possible points of engagement. In this role, and my past life as a nurse practitioner and health plan administrator, I analyze both social and medical factors. You can’t solve a medical problem without recognizing any social barriers and vice versa.

Use Targeted Outreach For Boosting Back-to-School Physicals

As summer comes to an end, now is the time for students and athletes alike to complete their back-to-school physicals. In order for students to be eligible to play sports during the upcoming school year, they will need to have their physicals completed before the school bells start ringing again. 

How Geisinger Closed the Gap Between Quality & Member Experience

There’s a lot of talk about the intersection of quality and member experience, but not always a lot of action. Our client Geisinger Health Plan is taking action and sharing best practices about how their quality team has fully embraced this reality and is using quality measures to drive an organization-wide approach to improving the member experience.   

Making Social Determinants of Health Actionable

The healthcare industry is waking up to the fact that factors outside the healthcare system impact a person’s health status and outcomes. To demystify social determinants of health and understand how to make them actionable, Welltok recently brought together an industry expert, population health manager and data analyst to share their perspectives and expertise.

3 Proven Strategies to Prevent Disenrollment

The average Medicare Advantage plan turns over about 10% of its members every year. For a plan with 100K members, this equates to about $110M in lost premium reimbursements.  

While plans won’t ever get voluntary disenrollment to zero, a strong retention strategy can move the needle and make a big impact on your business.

Healthcare Leaders Listen Up: Personalized Wellbeing Is the Next Frontier

Personalized medicine shouldn't be practiced in just clinical settings but for all aspects of a person’s health and wellbeing to truly transform the industry and control burgeoning spend. 

New discoveries are ushering in the era of personalized medicine, and as a person diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, this is especially good for me and others with incurable diseases.

Why Supporting Mental Health is a Must

Thanks to efforts like Mental Health Month, there’s an increased awareness that mental health is something everyone should care about. To improve education on the topic and increase support, many health plans, providers and employers are focusing on mental health as part of a holistic health approach.