New Technology Reduces Consumer Friction via Proactive SMS-First Engagement Without the Need to Download an App
Pager Inc., a leading virtual care, navigation and collaboration platform serving 28 million members in the United States and Latin America, today announced the release of an innovative app-free engagement solution. This SMS-first engagement tool empowers health plans to proactively connect with members and then authenticate their identity, without them ever having to log-in to a portal or app. And unlike other SMS-first engagement tools, this app-free engagement solution provides a seamless connection to an end-to-end care experience, from care navigation services to wellbeing programs.
Pager’s app-free engagement directly addresses one of the major causes of disengagement with virtual healthcare services—app fatigue. “Consumers have been overwhelmed by the number of apps they need to manage,” said Rita Sharma, chief product officer at Pager. “Our app-free engagement solution addresses that challenge directly because it bypasses the need for members to download another app or sign in to another portal. Instead, app-free engagement directly connects members with their care teams by using secure, HIPAA-compliant bi-directional text messaging. Once the initial contact is made, all members need to do to discuss their health status and information is to click on a link within the text that authenticates their identity and then continue the conversation with their care team in one seamless, continuous experience.”
According to Sharma, app-free engagement is the ideal vehicle to engage healthcare consumers. “Text messages are quick and easy to read, and the read-rate for texts is extraordinarily high at 98 percent,” Sharma said. “Telephonic or email messaging simply can’t compete with that rate of engagement. For example, 80 percent of Americans don’t answer their cellphone when they don’t recognize the number, and the engagement rate for email is 15 to 20 percent. That makes app-free engagement a true gamechanger in helping members become active and motivated participants in improving their health. Care team members can now achieve a much higher engagement rate when they proactively contact high-risk members through this more engaging communication mode.”
Available for all populations, Pager’s app-free engagement will be especially beneficial for Medicaid and Medicare members. According to AARP, 94 percent of older adults use text messaging. And 86 percent have smartphones. Yet only 20 percent of Medicaid members feel confident navigating their healthcare benefits. Enabling care teams to connect with members through their preferred communication mode gives these increasingly at-risk populations the confidence and support they need to actively manage their healthcare.
Pager’s app-free engagement solution features both inbound and outbound secure text-based chat. Within the chat function, members benefit from seamless transfers to their care team without ever having to download another app or call another phone number. These transfers include a conversational health assessment and a member’s case history to expedite care and eliminate the time wasted by consumers having to repeat their personal and medical information.
In addition, frequent reminders, notifications, and SDoH support, such as transportation, can be proactively sent to maximize adherence to treatment plans and prescribed medications. Furthermore, the entire Pager platform, including app-free engagement, can be embedded with any digital health platform or “front door.” For example, Pager recently established a partnership with League, a leading healthcare consumer experience platform, to utilize Pager’s care navigation and app-free engagement solution on the League platform.
Due to the higher engagement generated by app-free engagement, as well as many other Pager product solutions, health plans that deploy Pager can see an average of 90+ NPS and $153 savings per clinical encounter.
More information about Pager’s app-free engagement solution will be available at League Connect 2024, March 5-7 in Miami, where Pager chairman and CEO Walter Jin and chief product officer Rita Sharma will be speaking. To learn more about how Pager’s virtual care platform delivers a seamless all-in-one care experience, schedule your free demo.
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