As consumers shift more and more towards mobile for their digital needs, established industries are learning that they must provide a superior mobile experience in order to satisfy their customers. One such industry is the health insurance industry, where major insurers are battling it out to provide the best mobile experience to their customers.

Some insurers have invested more in mobile than others.  For example, Aetna, a U.S. based carrier, has published 28 major apps that have collectively had over 14 million downloads, while other insurers are still getting their first mobile solutions off the ground. Other insurance companies have put digital at the center of their business development strategy, such as Oscar, a mobile-centric health insurer that boasts the “highest mobile engagement of any insurer.” Oscar states that 41% of their members “turn to our web and mobile apps every month.”

According to Basel Kayyali at McKinsey & Company, “Digital is not a technology, but a way of doing things, that has massive potential to transform healthcare, but you have to rethink things.” For health insurance companies that aim to stay on the leading edge of innovation, they must provide their users with a leading mobile app. In this article, we detail several key features that health insurance companies must include in their mobile apps.

Help with the next step

The power of mobile is that it is with you wherever you go, and, accordingly, this is particularly helpful in the case of an unexpected injury. A health insurance mobile app can provide users with an easily accessible, geo-targeted list of nearby hospitals and physicians. This list can come pre-loaded with contact information and information on whether or not these healthcare providers are in-network with the insurers. Once the user arrives at the hospital or physician’s office for treatment, they can use the mobile app to display a digital insurance card to the front desk. Additionally, users can quickly track and send their most current health records to the new provider in order to ensure consistent care across multiple providers.

Make logistics easy

The best way for a health insurance company to keep customers satisfied is for the company to keep to its word. Often, insurance companies make the customer experience for initial registration and paying monthly premiums a breeze, but the same companies make the claim-reimbursement process an absolute nightmare. This practice may save the company money in the short-term by way of fewer claim reimbursements. However, in the long run, this practice leads to decreases in revenue as it negatively impacts customer retention and satisfaction. In order to keep customers satisfied, health insurance companies can simplify the claim reimbursement process with mobile. Users can enter claims via their mobile device and track the progress of these claims over time. Relevant information such as ID and receipts can be submitted via photo in the mobile app. If a claim requires partial payment from the user, this payment can be made in-app using credit card or mobile payment solutions.

Practice proactive healthcare

Another set of key features for a health insurance company mobile app are those associated with proactive healthcare. This is a recent push among insurance companies that realize small investments in a customer’s health today can actually save the insurer money in the long run. Accordingly, insurers can offer mobile reminders and in-app logs that help patients better comply with medication plans. Similarly, insurers can offer in-app health checkups and advice via mobile video and telehealth and telemedicine solutions. More advanced mobile apps even integrate with fitness trackers that record customer’s health and fitness status in real-time, and these integrations can help provide personalized health advice and reminders.

Conclusion

Mobile is expected to have a $300 billion dollar impact on healthcare spending, and it is important for health insurance companies to be at the forefront of this digital transformation. As seen, mobile allows health insurance companies to better serve their customers by providing a seamless and delightful channel to interact with the company, and forward thinking companies must take advantage of the mobile channel. If you are further interested in the intersection between health and mobile technology, check our previous work on a virtual office for doctors and our post on how mobile can improve the patient experience in private medical practice.