Why Health Plan Consumer Portals Need A Makeover

The needs of online healthcare consumers are evolving, and many of the tools that plans make available to them aren't keeping up. The good news is that consumer-directed health plan (CDHP) members are more engaged and visit plan-specific Web sites more often than other members. What's the bad news? Poorly designed consumer portals with outdated or irrelevant tools are driving up service costs and turning off customers. To change course, smart eBusiness executives should start campaigning for a renewed focus on the Web channel as a strategic priority. Then they should go back to the basics by applying scenario-based design principles to product development and customer service business processes. With their newfound political capital and a design-centric culture in place, eBusiness executives can then build a business case for next-generation consumer portals.