Report: More Insurers Adopting Consumer Engagement Tools

More health insurers are using mobile health applications, social media and games to boost policyholders' engagement in their health and wellness, according to a new report from Chilmark Research, Healthcare IT News reports (Miliard, Healthcare IT News, 8/21).

The report -- titled, "2012 Benchmark Report: Payer Adoption of Emerging Consumer Tech" -- profiled more than 40 consumer engagement technologies used by insurers (Goedert, Health Data Management, 8/21).

Main Findings

The report found that health insurers increasingly are creating their own consumer engagement applications or collaborating with technology developers to launch such tools.

However, John Moore -- founder and managing partner of Chilmark Research -- said that although the use of consumer engagement tools is rising, the health insurance industry "is still very much in the early-innovator, adoption stage." He added, "The vast majority of health insurers remain sitting on the sidelines."

Reasons for Increased Use of Consumer Engagement Tools

According to Moore, the federal health reform law "is forcing a major restructuring of the health care sector, and health insurers must innovate to demonstrate value to their customers (employers) and improve margins."

He added that insurers are adopting the consumer engagement tools as the industry shifts from a fee-for-service system to outcomes-based reimbursements (Healthcare IT News, 8/21).