2001_08 | EE: MCOs take small steps toward geater use of Internet

MANAGED CARE EXECUTIVE EDITION September 2001. ©MediMedia USA

MCOs take small steps toward geater use of Internet

Health plans are making better use of the Internet to improve interactions and relations with members and providers, but progress is still relatively slow. Cap Gemini Ernst & Young analyzed 74 commercial health plan Web sites — a cross section of for-profit and not-for-profit plans ranging from national insurers to local organizations — and noted that most have moved beyond static one-way communication to allow for interaction with members. Few plans, however, offer more than administrative services.

In the future, the authors noted, plans' Web sites will need to be customized to meet members' health needs, such as for an online risk assessment tool or electronic preauthorization referral center. In addition, plans will need to develop HIPAA-compliant electronic-transaction compatibility with providers' systems, and to integrate sites with their own legacy systems and thus reap cost savings from e-health.

SOURCE: HOW HEALTH PLANS ARE USING THE INTERNET TO REACH CUSTOMERS, CAP GEMINI ERNST & YOUNG, WASHINGTON, 2001