These features are a good place to start:

A digital platform with human support. The digital experience is the front end of the "Pepsi challenge" comparison shopping that enables people to cull from others' experiences and gather relevant information. Often, there's a disconnect between the resulting care provider and the health care plan that needs to be navigated and advocated by an experienced person. Smart, easy-button technology is essential to improve the navigation experience – and members will always need human expertise and support in certain situations.
A platform that will grow with you. For now, you may just need navigation for your members, but as they become more engaged in their health and wellbeing, they'll seek out additional features and support – for services like coaching, habit trackers, chronic disease management – on the platform that they'll expect should fold into that experience.
A platform that addresses your members' needs. One thing employers know about their member populations' health and wellbeing is their cost centers. Cancer care is the number one cost center. It's fair to expect that will continue, and you'll want to provide access to a platform that offers members a cancer care experience with a continuum of services from diagnosis to treatment to aftercare – as well as more holistic support, like mental health care and caregiving. Remember what I said earlier about visualizing something awesome at the end? Discovering a continuous path for care with the structure for a successful outcome will support people's desire for engagement.

Employers are struggling to bring it all together, stuck wading through the muck of point solutions with little to no integration. A recent survey of 2,000 employees at large U.S. companies, conducted by independent research firm Ipsos, determined that when navigating the health care system 58% use between two and five websites, portals, or apps to access their organization's benefits. But transformation is happening. There are platforms that bring discreet capabilities – diagnosis, second opinions, centers of excellence, insurance coverage, care management, etc. – together to provide a cohesive experience that provides guidance and gets closer to the easy button.

Instant Insights /

Why we need to make navigating health care as simple as buying a new TV

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