BlueCross Exec Talks Member Experience
Jan. 28, 2021
Late last year BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina welcomed a new vice president of product development, innovation and member experience. Tom Meier comes to BlueCross with more than 20 years of experience in health care insurance.
Much of Meier’s role has an impact on member experience.
“Our goal is to help our members navigate what can be a messy health care world, and provide them the capabilities, tools, and support they need from BlueCross to better manage their own health and the health of their family,” he says.
Here’s a look at some of Meier’s vision for his role at BlueCross and how it could impact member experience.
Your team also oversees the digital products from BlueCross. Can you tell us about that?
We have a tremendous digital design and delivery team that's responsible for the development and active management of our member facing digital assets, including our member websites and My Health Toolkit® member portal and app, which allows members to virtually access their ID card, check the status of their claims and benefits, find a provider, shop for care, and more.
We want to ensure we are providing an intuitive and valuable digital experience that allows members to get their self-service needs met. We also want to make sure members can leverage the technology in their hands in a way that helps them engage in their health care.
What does your team do for member experience?
We have a team specifically dedicated to exploring, measuring, and improving how our members interact with BlueCross at various times in their health care journey. We are closely watching from the first time they engage with us, when they need to seek service, when they are accessing health care, and when they might need the support of BlueCross after they’ve accessed care. We're always trying to find ways to improve and optimize that member experience.
What are we doing for our members’ experience?
A key area of focus is making sure that we are actively listening to our members. We are tracking how our members interact with us and finding solutions to improve each and every one of those member interactions.
We want to think differently about how we can not only meet the needs of our members but exceed their expectations.
What is your vision for members?
We want to provide our members as much as innovative support as we can and that they want in their health care journey.
The health care industry can be confusing, overwhelming, and deeply personal. I believe health plans have a really big role to play in terms of solving these unmet needs of our members by giving them a solution to help them navigate the health care landscape, and their health care needs
What do you want our members to know?
BlueCross is actively working to bring our members solutions to help them access, navigate and manage their health. I encourage our members to become familiar with these tools that are available at their fingertips and use them.
What's the best way for someone to find out what is available to them?
Our customer service representatives available to answer any of questions. Registering for My Health Toolkit and opting into our member communications via email or text is a great opportunity to learn about what is available with your plan.
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