Workplace in Focus Podcast Episode 6 Transcript

Meeting customer and client needs has never been more important. And, the ability to be able to flexible in an ever-changing landscape is paramount.

[ANNOUNCER] You have questions about what’s impacting the healthcare system – from pandemics to products. We have answers. Welcome to Banner|Aetna Workplace in Focus. Now here's your host, Banner|Aetna Market Head of Sales, Jon Dingledine.

DINGLEDINE: Hello everybody. Welcome back to Banner Aetna: Workplace in Focus. Today we are excited to have Joanne Mizell, Chief Operating Officer of Banner Aetna, with us today, to talk about the member experience and how the pandemic has impacted that. Good morning, Joanne.

MIZELL: Good morning. 

DINGLEDINE: So during the pandemic access to care is more important than ever. Certainly changing a lot. So what is Banner Aetna’s strategy for access to care? 

MIZELL: Banner Aetna is really in a unique position compared to others in the market, because we are half-owned by a very large insurance company half-owned by the major health system in Arizona. So that relationship has enabled us to really quickly address some of the issues that certainly no one saw coming. Telemedicine was vitally important during the pandemic and even before the pandemic we had been working quite a bit on developing solutions around telemedicine. 

We developed our virtual care solution a little over a year ago, it was launched through 98.6 and made that available 24/7 on demand. that a member could just open their app, have an appointment, and be done. So that has just really proven during the pandemic to be a tremendous asset because of course, everyone knows that members for such a long time weren’t able to go to their providers. This was an interesting dynamic in the marketplace because it created more demand for virtual care and it also created new opportunities. 98.6 stepped up and provided that 24/7 access. And so adoption was amazing from a member-patient standpoint, and from a provider standpoint. So Banner did roll out telemedicine system-wide, and we were quickly able to add that information to our system portal, and we were able to do it more quickly than anyone else because of our close connection with Banner. 

And then besides that we certainly have an expansive network of providers, whether a member is in our performance network or our broad state-wise network. We continue to have urgent cares, walk-in clinics, minute clinics. We have added EAP services and extended that out to all of our members, even those who had not purchased the buy-up to help alleviate the stress that the pandemic has created. And that has been appreciated and heavily utilized, actually. 

Another thing that you don’t always hear about, is pregnant moms. Unless you are in that situation during this, you are probably not going to hear about it but the pandemic has obviously been a very stressful time for pregnant moms. And we have added some additional resources through our maternity program including texting capabilities, more frequent outreach, more accessibility to coaching and assistance going through a pregnancy when you are not able to go and see your doctor. We are sending free blood pressure cuffs, so that members can continue to monitor their blood pressure while they are at home and either working with their coach or their provider. So there has been a lot of things we have tried for that specific subset of the population. We want to reduce their stress because we know that helps them feel supported and healthy and we believe that will lead to healthy births. 

DINGLEDINE: Yeah, that’s really interesting. The good news is that it sounds like Banner Aetna is right on the cutting edge. Typically when members have a need they contact their insurance company via member services. So can you give us some insight or tell us how Banner Aetna member services team has helped members access care and what kinds of things are they doing to help with all the various issues that a member, or somebody, might face? 

MIZELL: Sure. So, we do have an integrated customer service clinical team. So, there is one number on the back of your ID card you call with questions, whether they’re  around your insurance plan or clinical. During the pandemic that has proven to be especially helpful to members. The team works very closely, so that 800 number and that customer service rep continues to be the single point of contact for members and that is really important to us because we don’t want to give 4, 5, 6 phone numbers to a member and tell them, “Depending on your issue you have someone different to speak to.” 

So during the beginning of the pandemic, call volumes, because services were down, call volumes were down and that really gave us a great opportunity too, for those rep’s to get up to speed and understand and be prepared when the calls started coming in to help our members. 

But the most important thing is to solve whatever issue it is that the member is calling about on that first call so they are not having to call back and they feel that they have been taken care of and not shuffled around. And that’s what we’re always trying to do. 

DINGLEDINE: Yeah. Yeah, that’s awesome. You know, I know that a lot of folks want to talk to a live body, a person, so it certainly sounds like Banner Aetna is doing a lot to make sure that one on one connectivity is there when members need it. When we look beyond that what kind of new tools does Banner Aetna have, and developed to help members? 

MIZELL: We want to make our member portal the single source of information, so that a member can get everything about their specific plan in one place. And to do that, we have needed to customize our portal for our members that show them their specific benefits, their features and the value added options that they have available. And one of the major initiatives we are taking on that has been very helpful during this pandemic is identifying which of our network providers offer telemedicine, and bring them up to the top of the provider search, so very important during this pandemic when you are looking for a provider. We don’t want members calling around and trying to get appointments and seeing if there is telemedicine or telling them right there who has that capability. So we were able to do that really quickly and the other, is expanding online appointment scheduling. 

Convenience, of course, is more important than ever now. As much as we can allow people to do when they are at their computers, to schedule an appointment we have found that to be a very important aspect for our members. For the past 18 months or so, we have been enhancing our portal, putting in custom videos, putting on information about who in the family is covered, and what benefits they might get some kind of benefit from. And we have been enhancing the benefits and services that get presented up front and that’s something that the member has available to them based on what their interests are, and additional features beyond their co-pays and the rest of their plan design. 

Another that we have been working on and that’s really important to us is potentially automating the prior authorization process. Our goal is to automate it so that the point of service, when a provider says you need a specific treatment, whatever that treatment or procedure is, the member can find out immediately as well as the provider, before that member leaves the office if it is going to be approved. We know this is a big issue for members and providers and we are working and very focused. This is a high priority for us in improving the experience. 

And then, the last thing I want to mention is an industry-wide issue. Nobody is happy with trying to reconcile their EOB’s and the bills they get from the doctor. So we are tackling that right now, and we are in the process of working between two vendors to create a “single source of truth,” we are calling it, for members, where they don’t have to reconcile the bill and EOB, we will send them a consolidated bill and EOB. We really think that is going to be beneficial to members, to providers, and really make that experience much better. 

DINGLEDINE: It is exciting to see Banner Aetna with so many things in the works that will help members easily access their care and their benefits. It’s really neat to see that. So as we wrap up, let’s talk about this. It’s really kind of a broad question but, what we would love to hear about is: where do you see the member experience going in kind of a future look? How does Banner Aetna stay on what we consider to be the leading edge of what’s next? So, we would love to hear your thoughts here. 

MIZELL: So, I see Banner Aetna creating a better, easier, more affordable and more personalized experience. Technology can help us with a lot of that, so technology is becoming a bigger part of ease and simplification and it’s expected, but it can remove that personal touch. The more we go to technology to solve issues or get information, you lose that feeling that somebody cares and we are focusing on providing both. So we are very closely connected collaborating on a daily and hourly basis with the health system and with providers, so that the personal touch and care are constantly top of mind for us.

Another thing I think we are going to see, not just Banner Aetna, but really across the board, is a lot more telemedicine. Arizona has a telemedicine law that goes into effect the last day of the year here. And so I think it’s going to become an even bigger part of how members access care and how providers want to provide care. So we are focused on that, we see it coming, we know that our health system owner is interested in enhancing and developing that more. It’s something we see a future movement in healthcare on. 

And then the last thing as I mentioned before, simplification. Our business has gotten so complicated, both on the delivery side and the insurance side, members are frustrated by it and they feel it. So simplification is very important to Banner Aetna. We are constantly asking ourselves how we can make it easier for members, easier for patients, and Banner is doing the same thing. How can we make it more affordable? Those are the things that we are really focused on and what we are created to do. So there is an incredible amount of opportunity and because of our unique structure and ownership, Banner Aetna is really very well positioned to be on the leading edge that you mentioned and to create a positive change in our industry. 

DINGLEDINE: Great! Thanks, Joanne. It really is exciting to be part of an organization and hear all the wonderful things that Banner Aetna is doing to really, really impact how all of Arizona, or how Arizonans, have an opportunity to engage with a better, more positive member experience, in a simpler  member experience. It’s fun to be a part of all that. So thank you very much for being with us. 

MIZELL: Thank you for having me. 

DINGLEDINE: And thank you to everyone dropping in on this episode of Banner Aetna: Workplace in Focus. That’s all for now. Tune in next time to hear from another exciting guest as we discuss the issues and topics impacting our healthcare, health, and delivery. And most importantly, our daily lives.