Moving people to take action is one of the biggest challenges facing health plans and providers today. Engaging people is one thing, but getting people to take action is another entirely. Although it’s challenging to create a compelling member and patient experience, it’s absolutely essential. This is where a strong health action platform comes in.

Health action goes beyond checking the engagement box using data analytics, the right channels, and personalized messaging. It moves people to do something specific that helps them live longer, healthier lives and improve outcomes.

Based on our experiences managing millions of touchpoints and hundreds of programs, we’ve identified the key performance indicators (KPIs) for stronger health action. First and foremost on that list is incorporating the right health action platform.

Here are the 5 Must-Have Elements of a Strong Health Action Platform:

1. Integration

Providing healthcare services can create more data than many plans and providers can handle. It’s often complex and unstructured as well. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, the right data analytics can realize more than $300 billion in savings annually to the US health system.

A strong health action platform can deconstruct information silos from various sources to deliver valuable insight, turning relevant data into actionable information.

2. Content Management

Healthcare consumerism is a reality, and good education is key to move people to take action. A successful health action platform provides members and patients with the education tools they need to maintain healthy lifestyles.

A 2015 CDW survey reported that 74% of respondents would take a more active role in their own healthcare choices if they had access to better information online.

A consumer-centric model respects individuals’ desire to become more knowledgeable and make better, more informed choices regarding their own healthcare.

3. Personalization

Meaningful contact with people is the fundamental goal of an integrated health action strategy, but some forms of contact are counterproductive. Every healthcare organization includes people whose preferences are as diverse as their demographics.

Hitting the wrong touchpoints is the easiest way to see health engagement plummet, bringing action down along with it. To be considered, health action platforms need to be customizable for personalization to avoid member and patient abrasion.

4. Flexibility

No industry today is as dynamic as healthcare. The right health action platform incorporates an architecture that demonstrates interoperability, but is also flexible enough to adapt to the changing needs of the health plan or provider. Costs are also lower, as it allows for changes without costly upgrades or system overhauls.

5. Configurability

Health plans and providers face constant unanticipated challenges. A strong health action platform can resolve a wide array of problems in a seamless fashion. It gets the ability to do so by being centered around a dynamic cloud-based system that can be adapted to suit the needs of the health plan or provider.

A Commonwealth Fund study found that people who were less engaged cost 8 – 21% more to care for than their engaged counterparts.

A configurable health action platform minimizes effort and costs because it doesn’t need to be completely retooled for each new problem it encounters.