8 Ways GuidingCare Helps Health Plans Support Communities with Diverse and Complex Care Needs

Health plans today face multifaceted challenges, particularly when managing care for individuals navigating significant barriers to health equity. These populations, including dual-eligible special needs (DSNP) and pediatric populations, present unique complexities that require innovative care management strategies and advanced technology to support care managers effectively.

The GuidingCare® care management solution from HealthEdge® has been helping health plans innovate their approaches to address these challenges, ensuring equitable and effective care delivery. This blog examines 8 ways GuidingCare enables care management teams to better serve individuals with diverse and complex care needs. But first, let’s be sure we understand these populations.

Understanding Communities with Complex Challenges: Characteristics and Unique Needs

Communities facing systemic barriers in healthcare include individuals who are dual-eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (DSNP) and children under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) program. These individuals often face challenges such as socio-economic inequities, significant medical needs, and intricate regulatory requirements. They are also disproportionately affected by chronic conditions and limited access to supportive resources.

For the DSNP community, seamless coordination between Medicare and Medicaid services is essential. This dual coordination adds a layer of complexity, requiring care managers to navigate different regulatory environments and service provisions. Quality and continuity of care remain priorities, as DSNP members frequently encounter barriers to preventive care, follow-up services, and necessary testing. Limited health literacy and socio-economic challenges exacerbate these issues, further complicating care delivery.

Children engaged in EPSDT programs often come from families facing financial and social hardships. Barriers such as limited healthcare access, transportation issues, and resource shortages impede their ability to receive preventive services. Ensuring these children benefit from consistent care is fundamental to achieving the long-term developmental and health goals of the EPSDT program.

Top 8 Ways GuidingCare Empowers Care Managers to Address Diverse Needs

The GuidingCare solution from HealthEdge provides comprehensive care management solutions tailored to the needs of individuals experiencing disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. These solutions are designed to enhance coordination, improve quality of care, and address the unique challenges these groups face.

Here are the top 8 ways GuidingCare equips care managers:

  1. Integrated Care Coordination: GuidingCare facilitates seamless coordination between Medicare and Medicaid services for DSNP members and ensures timely screenings and follow-ups for children in the EPSDT program. This integration ensures that all members can receive comprehensive care that addresses their medical and social needs.
  2. Enhanced Data Management: The platform allows care managers to capture and analyze detailed data on members. This data-driven approach helps identify gaps in care, track progress, and tailor interventions to meet individual needs, improving outcomes for both DSNP and EPSDT populations.
  3. Compliance and Regulatory Support: GuidingCare streamlines compliance with changing regulations, ensuring that care activities consistently meet required standards. This capability is essential for navigating the complex regulatory frameworks associated with DSNP and EPSDT programs.
  4. Quality Improvement Initiatives: The platform supports quality improvement initiatives by providing performance measurement and management tools. Health plans can use these tools to monitor and enhance the quality of care delivered to individuals navigating health inequities.
  5. Population Health Management: GuidingCare includes features for managing population health, allowing care managers to identify and address broad needs across diverse populations. This approach ensures that interventions are both effective and equitable.
  6. Member Engagement Tools: The platform offers tools to engage members actively in their care. These tools include educational resources, communication channels, and personalized care plans designed to improve member engagement and health outcomes.
  7. Community Resource Integration: GuidingCare connects individuals with essential community services such as transportation, financial aid, and nutrition programs. Bridging access to these resources helps mitigate the social determinants of health (SDOH) that disproportionately affect DSNP members and EPSDT children.
  8. Advanced Care Planning: By prioritizing personalized care planning, GuidingCare ensures members receive care that honors their preferences and addresses their unique health scenarios. This approach is particularly crucial for individuals managing chronic conditions or multifaceted health challenges.

Driving Innovation for Equitable Care Delivery

As health plans continue to navigate the complexities of care management, digital solutions like GuidingCare will become increasingly important. Future advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, can further enhance the capabilities of care management platforms.

For example, AI-powered predictive analytics can help care managers identify members at risk of adverse health events, allowing for proactive interventions. Machine learning algorithms can analyze large datasets to uncover patterns and insights that inform care strategies and improve outcomes. By integrating these advanced technologies into the GuidingCare platform, HealthEdge can continue supporting health plans as they strive to deliver high-quality, efficient, and equitable care to members.

An equally essential aspect lies in integrating community resources and addressing social determinants of health directly within care platforms. By connecting members to critical support services, health plans can foster equitable care while reducing barriers that hinder healthcare access and outcomes.

Building a Healthier Future for All Members

Through features like integrated care coordination, enhanced data management, compliance support, quality improvement initiatives, population health management, member engagement tools, community resource integration, and advanced care planning, GuidingCare empowers health plans to deliver optimal care to people facing systemic health disparities.

By leveraging these capabilities, health plans can create meaningful improvements in health outcomes, reduce inequities, and provide equitable access to healthcare and community resources.

The GuidingCare team at HealthEdge remains committed to reshaping the care management landscape with technology that supports more efficient, equitable care delivery. To learn more about how GuidingCare can drive efficiency and care delivery, visit our case study, “Medica Partners With HealthEdge To Improve Member Lives In The Moments That Matter.”

Why Advanced Care Management is Crucial for Better Member Engagement and Outcomes

Modernizing technology solutions and adjusting digital strategies are key priorities for health plan executives. Advancements in integrated care management solutions are enabling payers to streamline organizational workflows—allowing them to centralize member engagement and improve clinical outcomes. This blog explores the key role care management plays in empowering payers, providers, and members.

What is Care Management?

Care management is a whole-person approach to healthcare delivery that focuses on enhancing care coordination to increase member engagement and improve clinical outcomes. Generally, care management includes activities and interventions like remote monitoring, health education, and biometrics tracking, which help providers stay up-to-date on developments in patient health.

By reducing the need for unnecessary medical interventions and hospitalizations, care management not only improves quality of life for patients but also helps cut down healthcare costs.

5 Benefits of Care Management for Health Plans

1. Enhanced Patient Outcomes

Care management programs are designed to provide tailored care plans specific to individual patient needs. This personalization achieves measurable outcomes:

  • Reducing hospital readmissions
  • Improving adherence to prescribed medications
  • Ensuring timely follow-ups and preventive care

A study published in the American Journal of Managed Care revealed care management initiatives reduced medical costs by 37% and inpatient admissions by 44% for Medicaid populations. Effective care management also fosters trust and engagement with members, empowering them to take ownership of their health.

2. Cost Reduction

Effective care management makes it easier for providers to identify and address member health needs before they worsen, helping prevent more complex and costly medical interventions. By streamlining care processes and improving care coordination, health plans can significantly reduce operational costs. This is particularly important for government-funded programs like Medicaid and dual-eligible populations where cost containment is crucial.

3. Regulatory Compliance

Navigating the complex regulatory landscape can be challenging for health plans. Integrated care management systems like GuidingCare® offer robust compliance management features that help organizations stay up to date with new requirements and maintain regulatory compliance with state and federal guidelines.

4. Enhanced Member Satisfaction

A modern and integrated care management program can improve member engagement and satisfaction by giving providers the tools and insights they need to provide timely and personalized care. This not only improves patient outcomes but also builds member trust, leading to greater satisfaction and higher retention rates.

5. Data-Driven Decision Making

Increasingly, care management solutions include analytics and business intelligence that provide near-real-time insights that enable more confident decision-making. With access to updated data, health plans are better able to identify trends across member populations, measure program performance, and allocate resources effectively.

Leverage Care Management Across Payer Organizations

Implementing an advanced care management solution can help with more than improving member engagement and health education.

Customer Service  

Using advanced care management solutions, health plans can enhance customer interactions with tools like chatbots and virtual assistants. This allows administrators to focus on complex cases while members use self-service resources for routine inquiries about benefits and coverage, improving response times and member satisfaction.

Provider Collaboration  

A modern care management system streamlines interactions between health plans and providers. By offering real-time insights into member benefits and prior authorizations, solutions like GuidingCare can improve provider relationships and enable higher-quality patient care.

High-Quality Care Delivery

Analyzing trends across member populations allows health plans to address community health challenges proactively. Population health modules within care management solutions pinpoint at-risk members that need additional support, helping ensure timely interventions. For example, the Pediatric Population Health module within GuidingCare helps health plans comply with Medicaid Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPDST) requirements and improve health access for children.

Member Marketing   

Targeted marketing campaigns can be personalized to engage specific member populations more effectively with access to deeper and more timely member information. Solutions like GuidingCare include AI-powered analytics that deliver insights health plans can use to design engaging, personalized outreach campaigns.

Compliance Management  

Advanced platforms support adherence to shifting regulatory requirements and streamline reporting processes. With built-in auditing features and flexible reporting options, health plans can stay ahead of compliance challenges and avoid costly penalties.

Advanced Digital Tools Make the Difference 

Selecting the right care management platform isn’t just about meeting today’s needs—it’s about preparing for the future. Effective care management is a strategic imperative for health plans aiming to improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and stay competitive.  Advanced solutions like GuidingCare support an integrated technology ecosystem and help payers deliver personalized, coordinated care that meets the needs of their most vulnerable populations.

Ready to transform your care management strategy? Learn more about how GuidingCare can empower your health plan to drive superior outcomes in a value-based, patient-centric ecosystem.

5 Common Barriers to Efficient Claims Management for Health Plans

What does it take to pay a claim correctly? In healthcare, “editing claims” goes beyond surface-level checks—it’s about ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency. Each claim must align with provider contracts, state and federal regulations, and demonstrate medical necessity. The challenge for many health plans lies in navigating the diverse payment policies while minimizing delays or rework. Payment integrity is about maintaining this intricate balance.

Payment accuracy, operational efficiency, and cost management are critical priorities for health plans navigating an increasingly complex claims landscape. Errors in claims processing can disrupt operational workflows, increase expenses, and damage relationships with healthcare providers.

In the recent webinar, “Path to Payment Integrity: Enhance Payment Accuracy with HealthEdge Source™ Editing,” our experts shared actionable ways payers can address common challenges to claims accuracy. This blog will explore 5 of the key obstacles health plans face during claims processing and how the HealthEdge Source Editing tool helps contribute to cost savings by enhancing accuracy and efficiency.

5 Challenges Health Plans Face in Claims Management

The claims payment process often involves multiple, disparate technologies. Juggling multiple vendors and point solutions can lead to workflow inefficiencies and increased operating costs. If claims management feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. These are 5 of the most common challenges payers face.

1. Regulatory Complexity

Keeping up with constant updates from the  Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), state Medicaid programs, and other federal agencies requires meticulous oversight and prompt action. Health plans often struggle to keep up with the pace of change, leading to non-compliance risks and operational disruption.

2. Too Many Vendors

Health plans rely on a fragmented approach with multiple vendors managing separate parts of post-pay processes. This “stacked vendor” system can lead to inefficiencies, delayed guideline updates, varying data accuracy, and higher administrative costs.

3. Rising Administrative Costs

On average, each medical claim carries a financial cost of $12 to $19. Complex manual processes and workflow inefficiencies in claim processing can significantly increase these administrative costs. Reliance on manual claims processing also causes issues for health systems, costing an average of $5 million in losses per year and increasing provider abrasion.

4. Limited Internal Claims Editing Capabilities

Many health plans lack effective in-house tools to align claims editing and pricing systems. Relying on disparate third-party claims editing systems can create mismatches between pricing, policies, and regulations—leading to denials and rework.

5. Provider Abrasion

Delays, rework, and reimbursement issues damage provider trust in your health plan, making an already complex system even harder to manage.

Payment Integrity Insights from Payers

During the webinar, participants were surveyed about the top challenges and priorities at their health plans.

Top Challenges in Claims Payment Accuracy

“Increasing regulatory complexity” emerged as a primary concern for payers, followed closely by a “lack of in-house claims editing capabilities.” These findings highlight that staying compliant while managing cost and operational efficiency remains a delicate balance.

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Primary Drivers for Improving Payment Integrity

Many payers identified “reducing overall costs” and “optimizing operations for efficiency” as the main drivers for modernizing payment integrity efforts. These priorities go hand-in-hand as health plans strive to streamline workflows and eliminate wasteful spending.

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Most Helpful Tools for Claims Accuracy

Participants emphasized the need for “real-time performance metrics” and “stronger system integrations” as critical enablers for success. Streamlined insights and a cohesive ecosystem are essential for navigating the complexities of payment integrity.

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Benefits of HealthEdge Source Editing

Real-Time Claims Accuracy

With HealthEdge Source Editing, claims processing is automated to streamline operations and reduce the need for manual review. Automating processes helps cut down on expensive claims rework and reduces provider abrasion due to delays.

HealthEdge Source combines editing, pricing, and analytics into one integrated system, catching errors and flagging inconsistencies in real-time. This proactive approach uncovers the root causes behind recurring payment issues. With these insights, health plans can fine-tune their processes, implement corrective strategies, and address systemic inefficiencies, all while maintaining a clear focus on cost containment and operational excellence.

Regulatory Compliance Made Easy

HealthEdge Source simplifies compliance for your team through automatic cloud-based, regulatory updates, eliminating the burden on your internal teams. With constantly updated code edits, automated claims auditing, and detailed audit trails, staying compliant has never been easier.

The platform is fully customizable for state and payer-specific requirements, giving your health plan the flexibility to adapt to shifting guidelines. By automating compliance checks, HealthEdge Source can help minimize penalties, save time, and enhance accuracy—letting you focus on your members.

Seamless Integration

Our solution seamlessly integrates with existing claims systems, third-party tools[DN1] , and pricers to enhance capabilities without costly disruptions. Third-party integrations make it easier for payers to streamline data flow, eliminate silos, and enable real-time validation, ensuring accurate claims processing and payment calculations upfront. Leveraging third-party tools also helps improve fraud detection and data enrichment. The result is a cohesive ecosystem that allows your health plan to deliver both financial and operational excellence without compromise. 

Increased Customization and Control

HealthEdge Source Editing allows your health plan to tailor rules and configurations to match unique provider contracts, policies, and regulatory requirements. This flexibility improves accuracy while helping payers adapt to evolving business needs.

Actionable Business Intelligence

The HealthEdge Source platform provides transparent insights into claims performance through a unified interface. The modeling tool allows health plan teams to test and refine new edits before implementation, reducing errors and ensuring alignment with business goals. And advanced analytics highlight trends and potential challenges, enabling health plans to make data-driven decisions and proactively adapt to emerging demands.

Efficiency and Cost Savings

By streamlining payment integrity operations, HealthEdge Source Editing helps payers reduce administrative costs and save time. This allows internal teams to focus on strategic initiatives, rather than repeatedly fighting the same fires.

HealthEdge Source Editing provides a comprehensive solution that combines real-time accuracy, seamless integration, regulatory adaptability, and actionable insights, enabling your organization to streamline processes, reduce costs, and build stronger relationships with providers.

Watch the video to see how your health plan can leverage HealthEdge Source Editing.

Ready to learn more about HealthEdge Source? Explore what the solution can do for your health plan by visiting our resources page for additional tools, insights, and expert guidance. Empower your organization to deliver excellence in payment integrity today.

 

Want to Enhance Your Health Plan Technology Systems? Start with an Optimization Assessment

Optimizing healthcare technology solutions is no longer just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic move that can drive significant improvements in efficiency and cost saving. From reducing operational costs to improving member and provider experiences, well-executed technology optimization can deliver measurable benefits across your organization.

But how do you unlock the full potential of your digital solutions? Where do you even start?

The first—and most crucial—step is an optimization assessment. Designed to evaluate your current system setup and workflows, an optimization assessment identifies opportunities for improvement in your workflows and technology use, helping ensure your business maximizes the value of its technology solutions.

This blog will address common questions about optimization assessments and provide guidance for health plans considering technology optimization initiatives.

What Is an Optimization Assessment?

An optimization assessment is a detailed evaluation of your digital solutions, such as Core Administrative Processing Systems (CAPS) and Care Management. With the help of expert teams, an optimization assessment identifies potential pain points and recommends best practices to maximize your technology investment.

Key outcomes include enhanced system performance, more streamlined workflows, and empowered end users who understand how to best leverage the tools available to them.

But how exactly does this benefit your organization?

How Can My Health Plan Benefit from an Optimization Assessment?

Optimization assessments aren’t just about fixing what’s broken—they focus on empowering health plans to better leverage the solutions they already have to achieve their strategic goals. Here are three ways these assessments can create value for health plans like yours:

1. Increase Operational Productivity

By conducting a deep analysis of your current workflows and system setups, optimization assessments help identify inefficiencies that may be slowing your team down. Perhaps processing times are lagging, or manual workarounds have crept into daily operations. Through customized recommendations, experts can help your team work more efficiently, reduce manual input, and improve overall productivity.

2. Leverage New Functionality and Updates

Technology evolves rapidly—especially in the ever-shifting healthcare industry. With each new product release, features and capabilities are updated to keep your organization on the cutting edge. An optimization assessment ensures that your organization continues to get the most value out of its HealthEdge solution as it grows and evolves.

3. Empower End Users with Training

Your system is only as effective as the individuals who use it every day. A key component of optimization assessments involves engaging directly with end users, addressing process gaps, answering their workflow questions, and providing targeted training. The result? A more confident, knowledgeable workforce that can leverage your technology more effectively.

What Types of Optimization Assessments Does HealthEdge® Offer?

HealthEdge offers two key types of optimization assessments tailored to address your specific organizational needs. Whether you require laser-focused insights on a particular challenge or a broad system evaluation, there’s an assessment type designed for you.

Targeted Assessments

Targeted assessments are designed to investigate and solve specific issues within your systems, such as:

  • Addressing low auto-adjudication rates
  • Streamlining care coordination
  • Improving the end-user experience

The findings and recommendations you’ll receive focus entirely on resolving the identified issue, outlining actionable steps that can be implemented quickly for measurable improvements.

Comprehensive Assessments

Comprehensive assessments take a holistic approach by evaluating your entire HealthEdge solution, including configurations, workflows, and user processes.

Many customers choose to conduct a comprehensive assessment three to six months after implementing a new HealthEdge solution. Why? It provides an opportunity for payers to make usage adjustments, refine workflows, and focus on additional training as part of the broader optimization process. Optimization assessments can also serve as a vital step in preparation for new strategic initiatives, like expanding into different markets or serving new member populations.

3 Steps of the GuidingCare® Optimization Assessment

When it comes to GuidingCare, the care management solution from HealthEdge, optimization assessments follow a structured three-step process for maximum impact.

Leadership Alignment Meeting: We start by meeting with your leadership team to align on key goals, identify specific areas of improvement, and establish expectations for the assessment.

End-User Group Sessions: Next, we engage directly with your end-user groups—such as care management, utilization management, medical directors, and others. These sessions involve day-to-day process observations and workflow evaluations, identifying opportunities for optimization and training.

Recommendations and Follow-Up: A detailed report outlines the findings discovered during the assessment, with actionable next steps to address gaps and enable improvements. Then we coordinate a leadership session to review the insights and assist your organization to formulate an action plan and ensure alignment moving forward.

[H3] 5 Steps of the HealthRules® Payer Optimization Assessment

For HealthRules Payer, optimization assessments use a five-step methodology designed to uncover inefficiencies and improve outcomes more broadly across the organization.

Preparatory Meeting: We work with your health plan’s leadership to define the business problem and set expectations with project sponsors and stakeholders.

Project Startup: Using information from the initial meeting, we determine the scope of the assessment and align stakeholders on deliverables through a structured work plan.

Workflow Assessment: At this stage, we interview subject matter experts, collect and review system and workflow data, and evaluate configurations and resource inputs impacting performance.

Operational Analysis: Our team conducts a SWOT analysis to identify gaps, pain points, and configuration improvement opportunities.

Health Plan Recommendations: The final report provides key findings and recommended action items. We review the benefits and impact of suggested improvements and outline clear next steps.

How Can Your Health Plan Get the Most Value Out of an Optimization Assessment?

To get the most out of your optimization assessment, preparation and transparency are key.

For GuidingCare Assessments

  • Opt for On-Site Assessments: Whenever possible, conduct assessments on-site. This allows for direct observations of user workflows and tools for a richer understanding of challenges and potential improvements. For remote assessments, your health plan may have to make additional preparations.
  • Pre-Visit Preparation: Collaborate with HealthEdge to collect necessary data, align department representatives, and coordinate schedules beforehand to ensure a smooth process.

For HealthRules Payer Assessments

  • Define Clear Outcomes: Our team will work with your leadership to define the scope of the engagement, assess and evaluate your current systems and workflows, diagnose any problems or issues, and deliver a report of key findings and recommendations.
  • Focus on Transparency: Provide full and accurate data on pain points, KPIs, and areas for ROI estimates to better enable HealthEdge to effectively diagnose issues and deliver impactful recommendations.

Move from Optimization to Transformation

An optimization assessment isn’t just about improving the technical side of your system—it’s an opportunity to align your technology and processes with your broader business goals. By streamlining workflows, empowering end users, and keeping your organization ahead of technology trends, optimization assessments unlock both immediate and long-term benefits.

Still on the fence? HealthEdge’s proven track record includes transforming inefficient workflows, enabling features that reduce operational costs, and boosting overall system performance for health plans just like yours. By leveraging an optimization assessment tailored to your needs, you’ll not only maximize your existing technology investment but also set the stage for sustainable growth.

To learn more or schedule your assessment, contact your HealthEdge customer success executive today. The sooner you begin, the sooner your health plan will reap the benefits of streamlined operations and improved outcomes.

How Advanced Provider Data Management Solutions Drive Efficiency and Growth for Healthcare Payers

Provider data is the backbone of operational efficiency for health plans. From ensuring accurate claims processing to improving member satisfaction, maintaining an up-to-date and reliable provider database is essential. However, traditional provider data management strategies may not be equipped to handle the volume and variety of data that payers must review and reconcile.

Advanced Provider Data Management solutions are developed with integration and automation in mind, making it easier for health plans to understand and utilize data more effectively. Leveraging an integrated Provider Data Management platform can streamline data sharing across payer organizations to redefine efficiency, elevate member experiences, and maintain regulatory compliance.

In an episode of the Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast, Senior Director of Product Management for HealthEdge®, Parvathy Sashidhar,  shared her experiences working with health plans to modernize Provider Data Management. Discover two of the most common pain points payers face in managing provider data. Plus, learn the three key risks of working with inaccurate provider data.

Common Obstacles In Provider Data Management

Data Integrity: Frequent changes to provider networks, contract details, and credentialing can make it challenging for payers to maintain data integrity when it comes to updated provider records.

Technology integration and data transparency: Health plans receive information from multiple sources and in multiple formats. Collecting and reconciling this data into a cohesive repository can be complex, and without the right system integrations, important data could become siloed.

Payers face a lot of pressure to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of provider data across their systems. Use of inaccurate data can lead to delays in payments, higher rates of error, and costly administrative rework. Integrated Provider Data Management solutions help payers overcome these obstacles using workflow automation that empowers payers to meet member needs at scale.

Mitigate The Risks Of Using Inaccurate Provider Data

Healthcare payers face significant risks by continuing to use outdated systems with inaccurate data. Risks generally fall into two categories: risks to operational efficiency and risks to member engagement and the member experience. An advanced Provider Data Management system can help mitigate these and other risks through data integration and transparency.

Operational Risks

Claims processing errors: Incorrect provider data can lead to claims processing errors, such as overpayments, incomplete reimbursements, and denials—negatively affecting payer cash flow as well as straining provider relationships.

Administrative Overload: Resolving inaccuracies consumes significant time and resources. Not only does this delay payment processing, but it also increases the administrative burden on teams that are already busy.

Regulatory Penalties: Publishing outdated information in a provider directory can result in penalties and fines, damaging a payer’s reputation in the industry and sacrificing member trust. Plus, improve customer price transparency and payment accuracy.

Member Experience Risks

Accurate provider directories are vital for members seeking affordable, in-network care. In addition to incurring noncompliance penalties, incorrect directory data can lead to other complications.

Barrier to health access: Outdated directory information could lead to members unknowingly visiting or being referred to providers who are out-of-network or are no longer practicing. In addition, if members can’t find nearby, in-network doctors, they may forego care altogether – leading to more complex care needs in the future.

Decreased member satisfaction: Members may become frustrated if they can’t find an appropriate provider, or experience delays in their claims reimbursements. These members may lose confidence in their health plans and decide to change insurers.

Automate Provider Data Management

Advanced Provider Data Management solutions help mitigate these risks by offering real-time updates, integration, and robust validation protocols. These platforms are built to harmonize data across sources and formats to create a “golden record” of provider information for your health plan and your members.

Some solutions also offer automated updates for regulatory guidelines and data processing, resulting in lower error rates, less administrative burden, and resolving claims disparities in less time. By ensuring provider data accuracy, payers can enhance not only operational efficiency but also member satisfaction—a key differentiator in today’s competitive healthcare market.

HealthEdge Provider Data Management: Built for Growth

At HealthEdge, we recognized payers have a critical need for a more accurate, efficient, and reliable way to manage provider data. The healthcare industry is evolving, putting increasing pressure on payers to leverage real-time data across their organizations.

We designed a modern Provider Data Management platform capable of handling dynamic updates in real time. Our cloud-native platform ensures that health plans always have access to the most current and accurate data.

The platform also integrates seamlessly with HealthEdge systems like HealthRules® Payer, as well as other third-party solutions to facilitate faster implementation and minimal disruptions. Our automation capabilities help enrich data processing, validation checks, and workflows, reducing human error at every step.

Unlock Efficiency with HealthEdge Provider Data Management

Accurate provider data is no longer a “nice-to-have” for health plans—it’s a necessary competitive advantage. With Provider Data Management from HealthEdge, payers can enhance operational efficiency, reduce administrative bottlenecks, and deliver unparalleled member experiences.

Want to see how HealthEdge Provider Data Management can transform your operations? Read our blog, “Unlocking Efficiency: How Provider Data Management for Health Plans Drives Success.”

Elevate the Member Experience Through Digital Solutions: Insights from the HealthEdge® Leadership Forum

At the 2024 HealthEdge® Leadership Forum, health plan leaders shared their insights on leveraging digital solutions to elevate the member experience, improve engagement, and increase operational efficiency. Michelle Fullerton, Vice President of Market Insight & Care Management at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBS of Michigan) shared with HealthEdge’s Chief Medical Officer, Sandhya Gardner, MD, how her organization transformed care management with the Wellframe™ solution.

In this blog, we review 5 key takeaways on how elevating the digital member experience led to a significant increase in the quality and quantity of member interactions and improved care management efficiency.

Key Takeaways: Adopting Digital Member Experience

1. Digital Engagement Solutions Improve Member Experience

Both BCBS of Michigan and BCBS of Nebraska recognized that traditional telephonic-centric processes alone no longer met members’ expectations for convenience and personalization. With the rise of digital consumer experiences, members increasingly expected similar access and immediacy in healthcare.

BCBS of Michigan began its care management transformation by adopting the Wellframe™ member experience platform. This shift allowed for automated outreach and real-time communication with members, replacing labor-intensive phone calls as the primary method of engagement. The result was a sharp increase in interactions that enabled earlier interventions and better health outcomes.

“We needed another way… We went all-in with digital care management, and the engagement numbers speak for themselves. We’ve gone from four or five interventions per case to 20-40… and we’re answering questions in real-time.”

– Michelle Fullerton

Similarly, BCBS of Nebraska adopted Wellframe to address the limitations of traditional outreach. Wellframe’s app allowed members to chat directly with care managers and access digital health resources when convenient.

With Wellframe, BCBS of Nebraska also implemented a model for continuity of care. When one care manager is out of the office, interactions can be effortlessly assigned to other staff who have easy access to all the member data needed to take the next step.

“Our ‘One Nurse, One Source, One Connection’ model ensures continuity, and Wellframe allows us to provide a seamless experience for our members.”

– Dr. Josette Gordon-Simet

With a digital member experience, these health plans report that members are better supported and connected to their care teams, which leads to better engagement and interventions across the board.

2. Digital Tools Save Time and Improve Focus for Care Teams

Adopting Wellframe’s digital tools has significantly lightened the cognitive load on care teams. Streamlined workflows allow care managers to practice at the top of their licenses. Two examples highlighted are the introduction of digital assessments and a new solution, HealthEdge’s AI Summarizer, of which BCBS of Nebraska was an early adopter.

BCBS of Michigan rolled out digital assessments, allowing members to submit their health information online. This shift from phone-based assessments to a digital workflow has freed up time for care teams to focus on critical interventions and member engagement.

“We integrated digital assessments into our system… nurses love it, and members like the convenience of answering digitally.”

–  Michelle Fullerton

For BCBS of Nebraska, the new HealthEdge AI Summarizer significantly reduced care managers’ time preparing for member interactions. By generating concise summaries of previous engagements, the solution allows care teams to quickly understand a member’s history without reviewing extensive notes.

“The HealthEdge AI Summarizer has been fantastic for our nurses, cutting down on time spent reviewing previous notes and letting them focus on care delivery.”

– Dr. Josette Gordon-Simet

These streamlined workflows demonstrate how care teams can dedicate more time to direct member care rather than being bogged down by administrative tasks.

3. Drive Seamless Care Management with Systems Integration

For BCBS of Michigan and BCBS of Nebraska, integrating Wellframe into their other systems was key to their digital strategy. These integrations ensure that data—such as member assessments, alerts, and real-time insights—automatically feeds into the broader documentation and workflows care teams use, allowing for more efficient and timely care planning.

“We integrated Wellframe into our care management system, and now nurses get real-time alerts and automatically documented updates.”

– Michelle Fullerton

BCBS of Nebraska has experienced similar benefits from integrating Wellframe with its systems, and it is currently implementing HealthEdge’s GuidingCare® digital care management solution. The integrated solution combines member experience with streamlined coordination across the care spectrum.

With GuidingCare, the health plan can seamlessly manage clinical and behavioral health needs, automate care planning, and target high-risk populations to provide whole-person care.

4. Digital Member Experience Establishes Competitive Advantage

By adopting a digital-first strategy, both health plans have positioned themselves as leaders in a market where exceptional member experience is essential to success. BCBS of Michigan has found that Wellframe has been instrumental in adding new members through its commercial line of business with employers:

“Customers tell us that our use of Wellframe sets us apart… It’s been a game changer in the RFP process… Wellframe has made a competitive difference for us in the market.”

– Michelle Fullerton

BCBS of Nebraska has also experienced how Wellframe provides an advantage when competing for new business:

“Consumers are much more digitally savvy than they were five years ago, three years ago even. This suite of products really allows us to be…ahead in many spaces.”

– Dr. Josette Gordon-Simet

5. Digital Transformation Success Requires Change Management Strategies

Implementing digital tools like Wellframe is not just about technology—it’s about ensuring that an organization’s people and processes are ready to adopt new workflows.

When BCBS of Michigan first introduced Wellframe, many nurses had spent years working in familiar systems. The shift to a digital-first approach required new skills and a change in mindset. To address this, BCBS of Michigan built a team of early adopters to influence the organization:

“You need a team of champions… Our early adopters helped guide their colleagues and supported those struggling to adapt to the new digital workflows.”

– Michelle Fullerton

BCBS of Michigan prioritized regular feedback loops and continuous training to ensure a smooth transition. By listening to care teams, leadership addressed pain points, refined workflows, and adapted based on real-world usage. This fostered a culture of continuous improvement that empowered care teams to provide feedback and contribute to ongoing success.

BCBS of Nebraska employed a similar approach, ensuring their internal teams were engaged throughout implementation and understanding that adopting digital tools is an ongoing process that requires continuous refinement.

“By engaging our internal teams and making iterative improvements, we’ve created a better overall experience for both members and staff.”

– Dr. Josette Gordon-Simet

By listening to their teams, learning from early challenges, and adapting their strategies, these organizations ensured that Wellframe helped them accomplish their goals.

The experiences of BCBS of Michigan and BCBS of Nebraska demonstrate that Wellframe’s member experience solution enhances member engagement and streamlines care workflows, driving meaningful improvements in health outcomes and operational efficiency.

Visit the HealthEdge website to learn how Wellframe can elevate your health plan’s member experience.