How can employers take advantage of these technologies?
Employees may have general ideas of the things they need to do to get and stay healthy, such as eat healthier foods, exercise, lose weight and quit smoking, but they may not understand the specific steps they can take, or they may need help getting started. To turn general knowledge into an actionable plan, employees need very specific tools, tactics, motivation and direction.
Participation in many employer-provided health improvement programs is lower than many employers would like, so instead of offering general ideas that may not resonate with employees, they can use technology to offer more specific, targeted information and to help employees track things such as minutes spent exercising or kinds of food eaten.
There is a lot of information out there — much of it conflicting — and employees will appreciate a trusted source that can cut through the clutter to provide personalized communication relevant to their situation.
How can technology influence administrative costs?
Using technology can reduce the amount of physical paperwork that both insurers and providers must deal with. Electronic records are easier to read than handwriting, and data is transmitted more accurately. In addition, everyone is able to see the same document in real time, helping to reduce the number of medical errors. This can result in a better quality of care and lower costs by eliminating the need for repeated tests by doctors who might not have access to previous results or know that the tests have already been performed.
Technology can also reduce costs to providers by eliminating the physical storage space needed to accommodate paper records and free up staff to focus on duties other than maintaining and tracking paper records.
With upcoming changes due to health care reform, now is an ideal time for employers to assess what they are doing to help their employees to not only stay healthy, but to also select the plan that best suits their needs and stay informed about their health insurance benefits and coverage. Information technology allows for an easy, real-time way to stay informed.
MARTY HAUSER is the president of SummaCare, Inc., a provider-owned health plan located in Akron, Ohio. SummaCare offers a full line of health plans and ancillary products. Through its extensive network of more than 7,000 providers and more than 50 hospitals, SummaCare offers coverage to more than 115,000 members throughout northern Ohio. Reach him at [email protected].
