Recently I had the pleasure of attending America's Health Insurance Plan's (AHIP) annual Institute and Expo 2019 in Nashville. Throughout my time there, I attended various sessions focused on members taking control of their personal health journeys, and how technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) can help them do it.
Using the power of AI, health plans can employ predictive analytics for members and identify those at risk for various health issues. These insights come from data related to age, personal or family history, social determinants of health, and many other variables.
Equipped with this knowledge, payers can help members take control of their own health through prevention and wellness efforts. This includes wellness programs and fitness trackers to encourage exercise, electronic mental health check-in programs that are personalized beyond a chat bot, or access to resources that help members make better food choices for their lifestyles. Such programs give members more opportunities to improve their health and quality of life--as well as having more satisfying experiences with their health plans. Ultimately, the goal is to leverage this technology to allow members to spend less time thinking about their health and more time enjoying their lives.
AI for health maintenance
Many people know the experience of starting a new wellness program. First you're excited to track your food, or meet your step goals. But after a few months, these programs can lose their luster, and it's easy to fall back into old habits.
A unified tech interface can help healthcare payers maintain contact with their members who are engaged in these wellness programs. Through simple gamification, including even rewards for members on some health plans, payers can encourage lifestyle changes that can progress into healthier long-term habits.
Healthcare payers can also use technology to work with members who suffer from chronic conditions such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes, and more. Although some of these individuals may not be able to improve their health, AI-enabled programs can help them take control of their health and maintain their current state of wellness, to avoid further health deterioration.
A low-code platform to bring it together
Using AI and predictive analytics to improve member wellness is an effective strategy. But the multitude of data involved leads to the next step: How can payers extract the important information from all these troves of data to make it actionable and work for members?
Healthcare payers need a unified platform that takes member data to help drive health improvements. With Appian's powerful low-code platform, which includes future-proof applications that can keep up with healthcare's changing regulations, healthcare payers have an ally in this work. Appian empowers you to consolidate disparate data onto a uniform platform and engage with members.
Where does your organization sit on the path to utilizing automation to streamline data? Take Appian's Intelligent Automation Readiness Assessment. Complete a short survey that helps you assess where you are now and the best next steps. Then reach out to me and we can discuss your healthcare organization's goals further.
Alexa Cushman
Senior Industry Marketing Manager, Healthcare and Life Sciences
