Why prioritizing the advancement of health equity can bring success to health plans
4 key takeaways from a payer perspective
Health equity and the social determinants of health (SDOH) have become buzzwords that are requiring action from all sectors within the healthcare industry. Given that 80% of clinical outcomes are attributable to SDOH, especially among traditionally marginalized populations, what can payers do now to help navigate through the challenges that come along with the new requirements of advancing health equity?
As part of our ongoing discussion series Under the Same Sky, Abner Mason, founder and CEO of SameSky Health, recently discussed these challenges and solutions with Dr. Eric Whitaker, founder and executive chairman of Zing Health, and Garfield Collins, cofounder and COO at Zing Health. View the recording below.
Zing Health was founded in 2019 by two African American physician entrepreneurs, Eric E. Whitaker, MD, MPH, and Kenneth Alleyne, MD, along with co-founders Health2047 and healthcare executive Garfield Collins. Both Eric’s and Garfield’s unique backgrounds led them to witnessing the disparities among diverse and underserved populations. They decided to address inadequacies in the healthcare system by creating collaborative, community-based Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Zing Health focuses on health service solutions built around community and acknowledges the importance of understanding patient circumstances outside of a clinical setting.
Zing Health has proven that by developing new and creative solutions, you can bring success to a health plan as well as advance health equity. So, what are some key takeaways that can be replicated by other health plans?
“If you ENGAGE the member in their care, you have better outcomes. If you LISTEN to what the members are saying, you also have better outcomes.”
Bake health equity into your company’s DNA
Zing Health is rooted in advancing health equity because they require it in every aspect of their business. From raising one-third of their seed capital from Black investors, to hiring a diverse workforce – at one time 80% of their workforce was Black or Hispanic – they keep health equity a priority by training people from historically underrepresented groups to be the next generation of leaders. Having a headquarters centered around health equity creates better health outcomes. Being able to use the diverse backgrounds and cultures of staff ultimately builds more trust among members and increases member engagement.
Member engagement is worth the cost
Zing Health has invested heavily to create a centralized member engagement engine so that they have the full story of a customer. The customer relationship management system was implemented not only for the sales team, but also for the customer support team and everyone in-between so that all departments have real-time information about any given member. The point is for no member to get lost in the system and for outreach to be seamless. Making large investments in member engagement doesn’t even compare to the amount of insight and data you will receive about a member, which guarantees better health outcomes.
Listen to what members are saying AND what they are not saying
Zing Health goes above and beyond to follow up with members because they want to solve for actual needs. There have been several times where members won’t pick up their prescriptions and blame it on cost or lack of transportation, when the reality is that the medication and transportation costs are covered by their benefits. The real problem may be, for example, that the member doesn’t have enough money to pay for their electric bill that month, which then becomes their number one concern. Because of their diligent efforts or repeated outreach to members, listening to their problems, and building trust, Zing Health is able to solve real member needs and increase overall medication adherence.
Prioritize educating members
In 2017, only 19% of individuals were electing MA plans, and the ones selecting MA plans were having some of the worst health outcomes – increased hospitalizations, more ER visits, etc. People were leaving plans that had the best benefits simply because they didn’t know those benefits existed. Zing Health knew that they had to change how to educate members on the services and benefits of their plans. The federal government also stepped-up and began including supplemental benefits like transportation costs into Medicare plans, but if members weren’t aware of these benefits, they weren’t helping anyone improve health outcomes. By prioritizing the proper education and outreach of members, MA plans have become one of the most popular plans selected among minority populations. Now is the time to get creative in your outreach!
Hear more from the conversation between Eric, Garfield, and Abner by watching the video above. Learn more about Zing Health here.
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