Six Steps for Accelerating Digital Member Engagement’s Time to Value
Health plans face evolving industry dynamics that demand quick action and measurable outcomes. Rising member expectations, regulatory requirements and financial considerations all point toward the need to accelerate time to value from innovative technology investments. As digital member engagement becomes a top priority for improving member outcomes, health plans seek technology approaches that deliver early wins while building toward comprehensive transformation.
Based on insights from leading health plans finding success with digital member engagement, these six strategic steps can help streamline implementation, drive adoption, and achieve meaningful outcomes faster.
1. Align Technology to Real-World Workflows
Realizing value quickly requires finding the right balance between technology capabilities and established processes. Rather than forcing new tools into rigid workflows or completely disrupting existing systems, successful health plans create a middle ground that enhances operations while adapting technology to their unique requirements.
“If you expect your software to use the same workflow you’ve always had, you’re not optimizing the software. You have to understand how the platform functions, what it can do, and then tweak your workflows to match it.”
– Chief Medical Officer at a Regional Health Plan
Digital tools should become a natural part of care managers’ routines, streamlining work and reducing cognitive burden. For example, digital check-ins, real-time risk alerts, and asynchronous communication with members via chat can enhance efficiency and prioritize outreach, all while preserving core clinical workflows.
2. Empower Care Teams Through Change Management
Adopting digital member engagement represents a cultural shift, not just a product rollout. Success depends on helping care teams embrace new tools and workflows.
Health plans can foster adoption by implementing several concrete change management strategies:
- Define the “why” clearly. Ground the transformation in shared goals, such as improving member engagement or reducing staff burden.
- Involve staff early. Bring care managers into the process during vendor selection, demos, and workflow discussions.
- Identify champions. Engage frontline leaders who can advocate for the change and support peers through adoption.
- Train in context. Offer role-specific, hands-on training sessions tied to real-world tasks, not just theoretical overviews.
- Align incentives. Adjust care team performance metrics to reflect digital engagement goals and new workflows.
The focus should be on building confidence in how technology makes care teams’ work easier and more effective, while recognizing the significant effort required to manage this change effectively.
This mindset shift helps scale digital engagement without increasing staff burnout, ensuring all team members are on board with the transformation.
3. Use Targeted Use Cases to Build Momentum
The fastest path to value begins with focus. Rather than launching a digital platform across every population and program at once, successful health plans start with clear, measurable use cases with high impact potential.
Prenatal and postpartum care was a natural starting point for Denver Health Medical Plan’s digital engagement transformation. This population faces complex social and clinical challenges, representing a significant opportunity to improve outcomes, satisfaction and quality measures.
By zeroing in on maternity care, Denver Health aimed to quickly demonstrate value through increased member engagement, stronger continuity of care, and improved access to support resources. Starting with a targeted population allows the team to refine workflows, build internal buy-in, and develop a proven model for broader rollout.
Plans looking to replicate this approach should:
- Identify populations with high social barriers and known gaps in engagement.
- Choose metrics that clearly reflect success, such as care plan adherence, follow-up visit completion, and HEDIS outcomes.
- Build internal momentum with early wins that show measurable impact.
4. Choose a Strategic Partner, Not Just a Platform
Fast, sustainable results hinge on choosing the right vendor. Technology alone isn’t enough. Plans need a partner who brings strategic insight, implementation experience, and a long-term commitment to success.
A strong partner collaborates on workflow optimization, supports adoption across departments, and evolves the solution based on frontline feedback. They should be aligned with your organization’s goals and help simplify the path to ROI.
Look for a partner that offers:
- A structured onboarding and change management process
- Configuration support aligned to your specific workflows
- Member marketing and engagement expertise
- Regular business reviews and product roadmap collaboration
When technology is paired with expert guidance, health plans can move faster with greater confidence.
5. Leverage Integration to Reduce Friction
Digital tools are most effective when they fit seamlessly into existing health plan infrastructure. Seamless integration with the core care management platform eliminates redundant work, ensures consistent data access, and simplifies training.
Rather than managing disconnected systems, plans benefit from:
- A unified member view. Care managers can see digital interactions, assessments, and risk indicators in one place.
- Automated task flows. Activities initiated in one system flow directly into the care management platform, reducing manual effort.
- Shared insights. Real-time data on clinical, behavioral, and social determinants drive more targeted, timely interventions.
Reducing friction improves productivity and adoption. Care managers are more likely to use digital tools when they don’t have to toggle between screens, replicate documentation, or guess where member information lives. Digital integration helps make digital engagement a natural extension of their workflow.
6. Measure What Matters to Drive ROI
Accelerating time to value requires clear metrics and a consistent approach to tracking impact. While member enrollment and usage rates are important, they’re just the beginning. The true measure of success lies in outcomes that align with business goals.
Plans should monitor both leading indicators and long-term results, including:
- Caseload scalability. Are care managers able to reach more members while sustaining quality?
- Engagement effectiveness. Are members responding to digital check-ins, completing assessments, and taking action?
- Quality outcomes. Are gaps in care closing? Are Star Ratings and HEDIS scores improving?
- Cost and utilization. Is there a reduction in ER visits, admissions, or missed appointments?
- Staff satisfaction. Are care teams more productive and less burdened?
By tying performance to strategic objectives, health plans can demonstrate ROI, continue innovating, and refine their approach over time.
From First Steps to Full Impact
Digital member engagement doesn’t have to be a slow, complex journey. With strategic implementation, health plans can accelerate ROI and empower their care teams to deliver better care, faster.
Putting these strategies into practice requires the right technology foundation. The HealthEdge Wellframe™ platform was designed with these principles, offering an omnichannel approach to engaging members through secure chat, digital assessments, tailored care programs and real-time insights. Supporting members across the risk spectrum, Wellframe enables care teams to deliver more effective, personalized interventions at scale.
When integrated with the HealthEdge GuidingCare® care management platform, Wellframe becomes part of a comprehensive ecosystem that helps health plans streamline workflows, empower teams and achieve meaningful results faster.
Visit HealthEdge.com to learn how Wellframe can help your health plan accelerate digital member engagement, improve care outcomes and enhance operational efficiency.
