Michigan Blues plan adopts mobile tech as operational strategy

As health insurers evaluate new operational strategies in the face of changing care delivery and payment models, embracing mobile technology is one way Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is trying to stay ahead.

The insurer recently announced a partnership with Larky, whereby the Ann Arbor-based company will present BCBSM's Healthy Blue Xtras savings program on a website and corresponding mobile app. The idea is to give BCBSM members quick and easy access to all of their health plan discounts.

“When the Blues launched the Healthy Blue Xtras program, we set out to provide added value to our members by offering discounts on everything from groceries to fitness gear to yoga and gym packages to help them embrace and maintain a healthy lifestyle,” said Kathryn Levine, BCBSM's vice president of corporate marketing and customer experience, in the press release. “There are over 90 partners in the program to date, and our partnership with Larky now gives members easier access to those opportunities to make healthy lifestyle choices that are healthy for the pocketbook, too.”

[See also: Mobile health app market to reach $392M in 2015.]

According to Larky co-founder Gregg Hammerman, the company, which launched this past April, is taking BCBSM's successful discount program and creating a dashboard on which members can see all of the discounts that are available to them – including those from other memberships, such as AAA, AARP and Costco. In addition, using GPS technology and customizable alerts, the Larky mobile app enables members to learn about discounts on their smartphone when they're capable of using them – as they're passing the health club, dining out or shopping.

"We're providing meaningful value to the consumer, which is going to drive up adoption," said Hammerman. He said BCBSM "created a great program and they were getting people to join in, but not enough people" were taking advantage of the program as it was intended.

"An organization's member discounts are only as good as its' members awareness and usage of those discounts," he said.

[See also: Michigan governor pushes plan to make BCBS of Michigan a mutual company.]

BCBSM’s strategy to connect with its members via mobile tech is not the norm for health plans, according to a recent survey by marketing company EveryMove, which may give the Blues plan an edge as consumers continue to increasingly manage their healthcare through apps on their mobile devices.

In a recent story in eWeek, EveryMove CEO Russell Benaroya pointed out that only 22 percent of health plans allow consumers to access their data on mobile devices through an app.

Benaroya said EveryMove’s survey was conducted to highlight some of the more innovative uses of social media and mobile tools – including the top-ranked Capital District Physicians' Health Plan in New York, which is using a photo sweepstakes to reward healthy activity, and third-ranked Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia, which is working with Penn Medicine and mHealth company Vitality to boost medication adherence through interactive pill bottles.

While the top-ranked health plans are making inroads, Benaroya told eWeek, they have a "long way to go around using these technologies to actively engage that population."