Collaborating With Health Care Consumers to Put Members First

Helping members maintain their best possible health is one of our company’s primary goals — and its success hinges on how effectively we actively engage members in their health. But developing the right mix of products, services, and programs and getting members to use them can be a challenge. That’s where IBX Opinions comes in.

IBX Opinions is an online insights panel of over 2,200 people in our community who weigh-in on a variety of topics from the member experience, marketing materials, and healthy living to potential products and services. We rely on their constructive suggestions and feedback to help shape and improve our services.

Here are a few stats to show you just how special 2016 was for us and some of the ways the community’s feedback was used in 2016.

In 2016, the IBX Opinions Community:

• Weighed in on 25 topics and had a 93% participation rate
• Gave us over 5,000 survey responses and helped guide key decisions
• Welcomed 1,300 new members, more than doubling its size

Communications and Advertising

Whether it’s a reminder to schedule a routine checkup, information about a chronic condition, or a benefit update, most everything we do at Independence Blue Cross (Independence) relies on clear and effective communication. In 2016, the IBX Opinions panelists helped us identify which communications methods worked best, including:

• Ranking and providing feedback on the wording used in invitations to new members to sign up for IBX Wire^® text messages, which resulted in a 76 percent increase in the sign-up rate within the first week.
• Helping us select local photography for the 2017 Live Fearless ad campaign in the Philadelphia area.

The “rower” image was panelists’ favorite by over 70 percent.

Medicare

IBX Opinions panelists also helped guide the strategic direction of a variety of marketing and member materials for our Medicare audience, including:

• Improving how we explain the plan options to members in our Medicare fulfillment booklet
• Test-driving our member portal, ibxmedicare.com, and identifying how we could improve our Medicare prescription drug search tool results by highlighting copay and coverage information rather than more detailed information about plan restrictions and participating pharmacies
• Helping us identify the types of programs, workshops, and events that would interest seniors as part of the Age Fearless Initiative at Independence LIVE!

Plans and Benefits

Lastly, we invited panelists to participate in an online focus group, which was a little different from the surveys we typically sent out. Over two days, community members responded to questions we posted and were able to exchange ideas with other community members as well. Here’s some of what we learned:

• When searching for a new doctor or hospital, participants value recommendations from their friends, family, and current doctors. Insurers should let consumers know who is in-network but should not make recommendations for sites of care.
• Participants view automated phone-response systems as one of the biggest issues preventing customer service experiences from being “hassle-free.” Different communication avenues (i.e., live chat) could be helpful in solving problems.

Help Make a Difference in 2017. Join IBX Opinions Today.

The feedback we receive from IBX Opinions is crucial for helping us improve the health of the community we serve. If you’re over 18, live in the five-county area, and do not work for the Independence Blue Cross or one of its affiliates, we invite you to join IBX Opinions and be a part of this positive effort.

Two or three times a month, we’ll send you an email with a link to a five- to ten-minute Independence Blue Cross survey. The surveys cover a range of topics including product development, benefits and services, marketing and communications, as well as health and wellness.

Every time you complete a survey, you will be entered into a monthly drawing for a chance to win one of two $125 gift cards. You will also receive quarterly newsletters with updates on how your feedback was able to help us.