Healthfirst identifies viable way to engage Medicaid members with mobile messaging

Healthfirst identifies viable way to engage Medicaid members with mobile messaging

Healthcare mobile messaging solutions provider HealthCrowd has announced key findings obtained from an industry-first pilot program with Healthfirst, not-for-profit managed care organization sponsored by hospitals and medical centers in New York. The pilot program’s process outcomes revealed that mobile messaging is a viable HEDIS (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) outreach channel for Medicaid members.

In 2013, Healthfirst engaged HealthCrowd to assess the viability of intelligent mobile messaging (SMS) as a mainstream outreach and communications channel for its core population. The objective was to assess, analyze, understand and document the effectiveness of multiple outreach channels; and discover if mobile/text messaging campaigns improve performance across select child and maternal health HEDIS measures.

Unsurprisingly, a vast majority of program participants (86%) have phones capable of sending and receiving text messages. In fact, the Medicaid population’s access to mobile communications is very similar to the general U.S. population.

The findings suggest that engaging Medicaid beneficiaries is most cost-effective via mobile means, with members expressing “high interest” in being engaged with mobile messages.

Leveraging HealthCrowd’s mobile messaging platform, Healthfirst was able to drive Medicaid members towards a desired action in a very short timeframe.Those who respond more to HealthCrowd’s text messages are more likely to take the desired behavior-changing action during the campaign period than those who respond less.

HealthCrowd’s intelligent mobile messaging platform proved to be a viable mainstream HEDIS outreach channel for those who participated, based on its ability to drive ~32% (not including decay effects) of members toward a desired action in a very short timeframe.

During the two-and-a-half month duration of the pilot program, the level at which members were engaged is best expressed by the exceedingly high response rates and equally impressive low opt-out rates, further indicating members’ willingness to communicate via mobile. Perhaps the secret of the success lies in the fact that the program was highly interactive, trying to engage members in an action with each message, as opposed to generic, one-way messaging initiatives previously utilized by other health plans.

HealthCrowd is known for using tested techniques from consumer engagement in advertising and retail to motivate behavior change in healthcare. It has a built a reputation as an “innovative leader in enterprise mobile messaging for healthcare.”