Keeping people compliant with recommended care and screenings has always been a challenge, but COVID-19 has made it even more difficult due to medical distancing. Welltok, the consumer activation company, has been working with Medicare Advantage plans throughout the pandemic to address health disparities and close all types of gaps in care – achieving results like a 56% improvement in colorectal cancer screenings and 1- and 2-Star improvements across medication adherence categories.  

Getting people to close gaps quickly is a priority for many health plans. Recent data reveal significant consequences to gaps in care, including a delay in diagnosis for six common types of cancer, and that 50% of older Americans who deferred care due to the pandemic believe their health conditions have worsened. Welltok is helping regional and national plans identify members at risk for one or more gaps and conduct personalized outreach campaigns that successfully get them in for care. For a top-ranked plan, Welltok effectively engaged and incentivized one-third of its members at risk for diabetes gaps to close at least one screening, and 20% to close three care gaps.

"In the wake of COVID-19, healthcare and life sciences organizations face continued disruption to their business models and consumer engagement strategies," according to the Gartner 'Healthcare and Life Sciences Top Actions for 2021' report. "CIOs must invest in orchestrated, personalized consumer engagement to fuel business model evolution and close gaps in health equity."

Welltok can predict with up to 90% accuracy members at risk of care gaps such as overdue aged-based or seasonal screenings and vaccines, and late medication refills. Welltok maintains the industry's most robust consumer database, covering 275 million American lives and including thousands of social determinants of health factors, which are high predictors of future health actions. For example, a person's online spending habits can indicate if they are likely to get vaccinated against COVID-19, while their relationship status and home ownership can reveal if they will skip a medication refill.

Welltok leverages these insights to pinpoint individuals' risks and receptivity, and optimizes outreach by leveraging multiple channels (e.g., automated voice, email, postcard, text messaging). Additionally, members may be incentivized to take specific actions, which can be rewarded as a premium reduction, gift card or, a more recent addition, merchandise like a tracking device or exercise equipment.

"As the country begins opening again, there is renewed energy, urgency and effort to re-engage people in care – especially our most vulnerable populations," said April Gill, Chief Strategy Officer, Welltok. "Our secret to success is not only identifying gap risks, but also understanding an individual's likelihood to engage and what will motivate them to take action."

About Welltok

Welltok drives consumer actions that matter. Only Welltok can predict with up to 90% accuracy people's needs and their likelihood to take action, and engage them with integrated multi-channel outreach to maximize results. By delivering personalized content and resources, Welltok ensures more individuals take critical actions like scheduling an annual check-up, selecting insurance coverage or refilling medications. As the award-winning consumer activation company, healthcare organizations and others trust Welltok to connect with their populations in meaningful ways.