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Rethinking Health Plan
Business Models for the
Emerging On-Demand
Digital Economy
Even as on-demand healthcare platforms disrupt the industry,
they create possibilities for new value propositions, partnerships
and business models that will further reshape the cost and
delivery of care.
DIGITAL BUSINESS
August 2017
2 | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy
Digital Business
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
We live in an on-demand world. Consumers expect convenience, simplicity, speed and
immediate satisfaction – sometimes even at the expense of quality and privacy. Numerous
large technology vendors and digital start-ups are actively responding to the call, leveraging
peer-to-peer sharing and on-demand environments to upend traditional supply and demand
equations.
Innovative techniques and next-generation technology platforms have radically reshaped
supply chains in many industries – examples include Amazon in publishing and retail, Uber
and Lyft in transportation, and iTunes in music (see Figure 1). Healthcare is next. How might
on-demand healthcare platforms reshape – and potentially disintermediate – the traditional
health plan value proposition?
Change: The Only Constant
Next-generation technologies are reshaping supply chains across all industries and are now
beginning to impact healthcare.
Digital platforms
Global scale
Minimized assets
Price transparency
Peer-to-peer sharing
Leveraged assets
Online reputation
Mobile-first
Digital payments
THE PRESENT THE FUTURE
Large intermediaries Owned assets Brick-and-mortar
Low-tech Information imbalance Word-of-mouth
High cost Local isolation Long innovation
cycles
Figure 1
3Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy |
Digital Business
Through our experience and interaction with clients across the healthcare space, we’ve
spent a good deal of time analyzing the impact of these forces. Moreover, we have actively
engaged some of our most strategic healthcare clients in future-mapping and forecasting
exercises intended to help predict:
•	 What the healthcare industry will look like in five years.
•	 The opportunities of digital disruption for health plans.
•	 Where health plans should place their big bets.
•	 How health plans should become future-ready.
This white paper synthesizes the output and initial conclusions of our future-mapping work
and explains why and where a consumer-to-business (C2B) on-demand healthcare platform
economy is emerging, the new business models it will shape, and what types of “no-regrets”
investments will serve health plans regardless of which scenario plays out.
Digital Business
| Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy4
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME:
THE ON-DEMAND PLATFORM ECONOMY
Although healthcare has lagged other industries in on-demand offerings, this is about to change.
Market dynamics and digital are affecting every aspect of the healthcare industry. Venture capital
investment in on-demand healthcare is rising rapidly, making it one of the fastest growing on-demand
segments.1
At the same time, healthcare is one of the most active segments of artificial intelligence
(AI) investment.2
The U.S. generated $14 billion in global business in 2015 for telehealth and telemed-
icine services, with a predicted increase to nearly $20 billion by 2020.3
Add in the estimated $20
billion worth of annual investments in mobile health and virtual care over the next five years, and a
very different healthcare ecosystem comes into view in the not-too-distant horizon.
The evidence clearly indicates that the on-demand economy — broadly defined as business activity
created by technology platforms that fulfill consumer demand via the immediate provisioning of
goods and services – is already at work in healthcare (Figure 2, next page). Services such as Doctor on
Demand, HealthTap, American Well and Teladoc are already enabling hundreds of thousands of con-
sumers to consult physicians in real-time via mobile apps. Pager and Heal provide in-person physician
house calls on-demand.
Consumers will access a wide range of healthcare services via on-demand platforms fueled by
“systems of intelligence,” which are virtual machines powered by AI and machine learning, data and
processing power. APIs will enable external players to plug their offerings into the platform.
Somebelievetheoverallcomplexityof healthcare
delivery and funding models render the industry
immune to the radical disruption associated with
on-demand platforms; we disagree.
This phenomenon isn’t limited to start-ups. Enterprises are adopting on-demand at scale. More than
half of Kaiser Permanente’s physician-patient interactions are now virtual, overtaking in-person inter-
actions.4
Nearly all large payers now reimburse for some virtual visits – and government is backing the
approach. Private payer telehealth parity laws now exist in 31 states, plus Washington, D.C., and 20
states (plus D.C.) have Medicaid parity laws.5
Direct-to-consumer laboratory testing is reportedly a $211 million market and forecast to reach more
than $353 million by 2020.6
Cloud and mobile technologies are enabling providers and consumers to tap
into what’s essentially a global supply of clinical expertise. As a result, an ever-increasing number of
primary care providers and specialists are augmenting their traditional practices by engaging in virtual
care consultations, providing diagnostic and treatment services delivered via on-demand platforms.7
Some believe the overall complexity of healthcare delivery and funding models render the industry
immune to the radical disruption associated with on-demand platforms; we disagree. These technol-
ogy and cultural currents are already eroding the foundations of health industry business models and
their corresponding value propositions. Technology – from automation and analytics, to wearables
and in-home monitoring devices – is advancing steadily and creating ever more business possibilities.
5Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy |
Digital Business
The On-Demand Healthcare Ecosystem
Consumers will access a wide range of healthcare services via on-demand platforms fueled by “systems of
intelligence,” virtual machines powered by AI and machine learning, data and processing power. APIs will enable
external players to plug their offerings into the platform.
Infrastructure
(Data centers, networking, the cloud, etc.)
THE APPLICATION
The presentation layer we engage with
to buy, sell, learn, communicate
THE DIGITAL PROCESS
The logic and workflow we follow when we book an appointment,
process a claim, fill a prescription, or check on an MRI machine
THE INTERFACE
Smartphones, tablets, computers,
machines, voice
Patients/Clinicians/Partners
Data from
other sources
AI SOFTWARE
Algorithms, automation processes,
machine learning, neural networks
Systems of
record
(EMR, CRM, HIE)
IoT
infrastructure
sensors and
connectivity
Personalized
recommendations
Digital operating
system
Figure 2
Moving at “Silicon Valley speed,” these technologies are laying the groundwork for a comprehensive,
consumer-centric, on-demand healthcare platform that promises to radically transform how health-
care is accessed, delivered and paid for. The platforms powering this shift will transcend
business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) models: C2B platforms will empower con-
sumers to build their own systems of care. Ubiquitous smartphones plus the Internet of Things (IoT)
plus the app economy all add up to a level of consumer empowerment that will profoundly impact the
core value propositions of today’s health plans and managed care organizations.
6 | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy
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Ubiquitous smartphones plus the Internet
of Things (IoT) plus the app economy all add
up to a level of consumer empowerment
that will profoundly impact the core value
propositions of today’s health plans and
managed care organizations.
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Digital Business
PROBING THE ON-DEMAND PLATFORM ECONOMY
Incumbent stakeholders will need to evolve as quickly as the technology. C2B platforms pose existen-
tial threats to key organizing principles of today’s managed care organizations and could undermine
the industry’s migration toward larger, more integrated systems. The shifting environment is creating
opportunities for new entrants, with billions of dollars of incumbent revenues ultimately in play.
The on-demand economy will empower
consumers to choose healthcare providers
and services based on convenience
and personal criteria vs. the rules of
a third-party gatekeeper or health
insurer – accelerating price and quality
transparency.
The on-demand economy will empower consumers to choose healthcare providers and services based
on convenience and personal criteria vs. the rules of a third-party gatekeeper or health insurer –
accelerating price and quality transparency. Freed from the confines of proprietary PPO and HMO
provider networks, consumers will shop for an array of competitively priced wellness and medical
services offered by the ever-increasing supply of primary care providers, specialists and ancillary
service providers choosing to practice healthcare via on-demand platforms.
As substantial amounts of primary and specialty care become easily accessible through Internet-
enabled care, virtual care or self-care, patient satisfaction will increase, as will the amount of time
physicians are able to focus on critical care needs.
All industry players will feel the impact of the C2B healthcare platform economy and on-demand
marketplace:
•	 Health insurers will be confronted with the erosion of their core value proposition: building pro-
prietary provider networks and offering volume-based provider discounts.
•	 Integrated delivery systems will face new demands for transparency in quality and pricing and
new models of competition.
•	 Biopharma and medical device companies will face consumer-driven demands for evidence of
the value of their offerings.
Digital Business
| Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy8
Emerging Business Model Archetypes for the C2B On-Demand Economy
As traditional value propositions are disrupted and new players enter, health plans will need to reas-
sess and refine their business models. To better understand potential options, we engaged several of
our most strategic clients in a series of future mapping and foresight exercises to identify potential
health plan business models for 2020 and beyond.
The following sections briefly describe four of the alternative business model archetypes that emerged
from our future-casting strategy sessions. We are not suggesting that organizations target one model
over the other; in practice, organizations are likely to blend these models and adopt hybrid approaches
based on their market positions, the populations they serve and the competitors they face.
BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPE ONE: BECOME THE
ON-DEMAND C2B HEALTHCARE PLATFORM PROVIDER
Over the past decade, we have seen health plans diversify into higher margin businesses that take
them further and further away from traditional insurance business models. In fact, diversification into
non-insurance lines of business (LOBs) has increasingly become table stakes for many large health
insurers, including Cambia Health Solutions, Guidewell Mutual Holdings, Highmark Group, Aetna
Group, UnitedHealth Group and others. These companies are either acquiring or incubating digitally-
focused healthcare start-ups or monetizing existing health plan platforms (analytics, claims process-
ing, care management, sales and marketing) by selling them as-a-service to other payers or into the
emerging risk-bearing provider market.
As the industry enters the on-demand economy, one business model option for health plans is to
leverage their existing investments in digital technology assets and platforms to create a game-
changing on-demand platform. The platform would help power the new digital healthcare market-
place connecting producers and consumers (see Figure 3, next page).
A successful on-demand platform will provide delightful experiences to consumers by giving them
convenience (access), affordability and transparency. It will be two-sided, managing both the supply
and demand areas of the client ecosystem, and driving consumer experience.
New competitors have already emerged, finding opportunities in supplying platform technology and/
or the apps and services available via a C2B on-demand health platform. In addition, Amazon is
reported to be developing a healthcare platform, and other large tech companies, including Apple,
Google, GE and even eBay, all have healthcare platform aspirations.8
However none have achieved
scale – yet.
Incumbent health plan players with existing technology-focused LOBs may have a unique advantage
when it comes to developing a scalable and intelligent platform empowering healthcare consumers:
their deep familiarity with the array of specialized service providers and suppliers required across the
healthcare continuum (wellness, prevention, chronic care, acute care, etc.) and market segments.
Health plans are already adept at managing healthcare demand and supply and have long-standing
relationships with providers and suppliers.
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Digital Business
The challenge will be leveraging this industry and technology expertise to deliver an on-demand ful-
fillment capability that sits within an ecosystem of health app and service providers with plug-and-play
offerings. This ability will be the new business differentiator.
It is unlikely that a single end-to-end platform winner will appear. Rather, a set of winning platforms
will likely coexist and address specific domains, such as virtual care, decision support, consumer
engagement and information aggregation and sharing. In addition, a proliferation of solution provid-
ers will emerge. Each will want to integrate with and provide services to this new platform-enabled
economy. This path may also be a viable business model option for some health plans.
Game-Changing Digital Health Platform
A successful on-demand platform will provide delightful experiences to consumers by giving them convenience (access),
affordability and transparency. It will be two-sided, managing both the supply and demand areas of the client ecosystem,
and driving consumer experience.
PartnerSupplierPublic Health SocialDevicesProvider
Engagement
(Workflows)
Intelligence (AI)
Data
External Data
(Providers, partners, suppliers,
government agencies)
Internal Data
(Operations – systems of record)
Device Data
(Personal devices,
medical devices, IoT)
Algorithms
Machine
Learning
Neural
Networks
Decision
Automation
A/V/I
Recognition
Buy/Sell Communicate Learn
Alert/
Notifications
Monitor
Data Aggregation
Payment/
Fulfillment
Advanced
Analytics
APIs
EXPERIENCE
Private/
Public/Hybrid
Cloud
Tablets Smartphones Bots Desktop Kiosks
Figure 3
Digital Business
| Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy10
BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPE TWO:
INSURANCE POWERHOUSE – BACK TO THE FUTURE
The C2B healthcare on-demand economy will disintermediate some of the key value propositions of
today’s managed care organizations (e.g., proprietary provider networks and negotiated provider dis-
counts). The on-demand economy will drive down prices for certain medical services and bring the
industry closer to market-driven price transparency and consumer financial accountability.
This will likely accelerate the current trend toward high-deductible and catastrophic insurance prod-
ucts, coupled with health savings accounts (HSAs). If these trends diminish the value of managed care
networks and preferred pricing arrangements, then health plans may consider returning to their
pre-managed care origins and pursue a classic insurance model of benefit design, risk management
and underwriting.
Some organizations will leverage this expertise and become a one-stop shop for all of a customer’s
varied insurance needs. These entities will serve consumers and businesses with bundled and unbun-
dled offerings for life, property, health, auto, long-term care and other insurance needs.
These diversified insurance players will have the economies of scale necessary to better manage
profit and loss across multiple lines of business. This flexibility should enable these companies to take
creative approaches to health-related insurance, going beyond catastrophic care policies with health
savings accounts and creating personalized policies targeted to very specific market segments.
Companies like Geico, AIG and others will also find this opportunity attractive and will aggressively
enter the health insurance markets – providing stiff competition to incumbent health insurers and
health plans.
EMERGING BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPE THREE:
INTEGRATED DELIVERY MODEL AT SCALE
Rapidly accelerating digital technologies give consumers more control over the care they want and
need. This trend has the potential to upend the healthcare industry’s move toward greater consolida-
tion and scale. In the not too distant future, financially accountable, self-directed, tech-enabled
consumers will avail themselves of a range of on-demand health services from a variety of providers.
As a result, they will essentially be able to create their own systems of care, controlling not just where
they access care, but also how and from whom, as well as the price they pay.
The impact of these changes on integrated healthcare delivery models stands to be immense, forcing
the industry to reconcile the tension between large, closed-network, fully integrated healthcare sys-
tems that prioritize efficiency and scale, and newer, more distributed digital upstarts that emphasize
speed and consumer experience (see Quick Take, next page).
Yet on-demand healthcare and integrated delivery are not mutually exclusive. In fact, some of the
largest integrated delivery systems (IDS), like Kaiser, are now providing on-demand healthcare at the
QUICK TAKE
A Perspective on Providers
The on-demand healthcare economy will disrupt traditional providers along
the entire continuum of care. Consumers will increasingly have access to
apps and tools that allow them to navigate a complex healthcare ecosystem,
picking and choosing location, cost and quality based on their own personal
criteria, essentially building their own “customized to me” system of care.
Diagnostic and therapeutic innovations, precision and personalized medicine
and continued advances in technology that reduce costs and enable “any-
where” care will create even more momentum behind highly personalized,
consumer-driven systems of care. These innovations already are evident:
the da Vinci Surgical System and other robot-assisted surgery; remote ICU
monitoring; telemedicine networks like Teladoc and HealthTap; and more
in-home care and house calls.
As such innovations reduce the cost of care, many consumers may be able
to afford direct payments vs. filing a claim. In turn, more health plans may
be designed for catastrophic care or specific types of chronic conditions,
further reshaping provider reimbursements.
Providers must consider how these trends will affect their value proposi-
tion, which for integrated delivery systems has been to offer employers and
health plans a wide range of care within a single network to control quality
and costs. Providers may need to retool or amplify this value proposition;
we continue to investigate these developments and will share more in-depth
analysis on the impact of the on-demand healthcare economy on providers
in upcoming reports.
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| Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy12
enterprise level. The combination of IDS and the on-demand healthcare platform economy will fuel
integrated delivery at scale and accelerate the viability of national accountable care organizations
(ACOs).
Integrated delivery systems have proved their value. The science underlying evidence-based medicine
and population health management clearly indicates that integrated systems of care deliver better
cost and quality outcomes than fragmented ones. Integrated delivery models also have demonstrated
the cost-saving advantages associated with narrowing consumer choice to a vetted and curated set of
cost-effective providers. Due to the absence of real price and quality transparency, healthcare has
long been resistant to traditional market-driven economics. The closed-system characteristics of IDS
have proved to be effective “proxies” for open markets, aligning incentives to manage both the supply
and demand sides of the equation.
EMERGING BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPE FOUR:
HEALTH, WEALTH AND LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT
As accelerating market forces and technology advances transform the industry, “healthcare” will
transition to “lifecare” through cheaper, quicker and more convenient care delivery. Artificial intelli-
gence innovations will provide consumers with new tools for lifestyle management and personal
health monitoring. Demand for disease prevention, stress reduction, optimized health and quali-
ty-of-life enhancements will grow. Health plans are expanding their roles as intermediaries and trusted
advisers into this potentially lucrative health, wealth and lifestyle management space.
Health plans have long played a valuable role in helping consumers understand the financial impact
of the plans they buy and have invested significantly in tools that can help members manage health-
care financial responsibilities and their health risks. Many health plans are already diversifying into
adjacent services (i.e., expanding beyond population health management to address the social deter-
minants of health); moving beyond wellness into lifestyle services and support; and broadening the
array of services they provide to help members manage health savings accounts and health finances
to include non-health related personal finances.
However, as health plans pivot to focus on these adjacencies, they’ll have plenty of competition.
Retirement and traditional wealth advisers are already beginning to include health risk management
As accelerating market forces and
technology advances transform the
industry, “healthcare” will transition to
“lifecare” through cheaper, quicker and
more convenient care delivery.
13Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy |
and healthcare financial management in the services they are bringing to market, including funds
management related to long-term care, health savings accounts and other health-related matters.
Players in adjacent industries, such as P&C/life insurance and financial services, are offering new ways
to manage healthcare financing alongside traditional wealth management.
Competition for lifecare customers also will accelerate the convergence of the hospitality, spa, medi-
cal and tourism industries. Watch for destination health resorts, medical facilities with prevention
programs, age management centers, hotels with medical and wellness offerings, and healthy lifestyle
residential communities to emerge. Each of these entities offers health plans opportunities for alli-
ance partnerships and new business models focused on prevention and healthy lifestyles. Examples
include advisory services, credentialing of providers, contract management, etc. While these partner
ventures may be “radical adjacencies,” the on-demand health economy will call for health plans to
embrace these types of unusual opportunities.
MAKING ’NO-REGRETS’ INVESTMENTS
Significant barriers must be overcome before these shifts in healthcare market dynamics can fully
be realized – but the direction is clear. The pace at which consumers are replacing traditional health-
care services with digital ones is rapidly accelerating. The remaining open questions are:
•	 When will we reach a tipping point?
•	 How painful will the disintermediating effects be on traditional payer business models?
In light of these uncertainties, we suggest health plan payers consider a variety of no-regrets invest-
ments to cover themselves regardless of the scenario that plays out. Migrating toward any of the
emerging business models will require investments in new technology and capabilities. The key to
no-regrets investing will be to identify the capabilities and characteristics required for success in the
emerging C2B on-demand economy that will also serve the business well today.
Digital Business
Digital Business
| Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy14
In our view, organizations that adhere to the following guiding principles will create value today while
positioning themselves for future success.
Mobile First
Mobile devices are everywhere, and consumers have made it clear they want to use them to manage
their healthcare. When developing on-demand strategies and building solutions, health payers must
design for mobility options first. (For more on this topic, see our report “The Digital Mandate for
Health Plans”).
Minimize Assets
Use public, private or hybrid cloud services to modernize IT capabilities cost-effectively. The cloud
offers increasingly sophisticated infrastructure, data center and application options that enable orga-
nizations to streamline and simplify IT operations and adopt innovative solutions while avoiding
capital investments.
Invest in Artificial intelligence, Machine Learning and Automation
AI, intelligent machines and robotic process automation deliver cost and efficiency benefits today.
Hard-coding business rules into software, member services chatbots and clinical decision support sys-
tems are just a few examples of how automation and AI can enable healthcare organizations to
streamline rote tasks and improve services. AI and automation also power systems of learning that will
enable health payers to engage on very individualized levels with health consumers (see Figure 4).
Investing in “applied” or narrow AI to automate specific tasks will enable healthcare organizations
to begin delivering better experiences and reduce expenses. Narrow AI applications incorporate
machine intelligence so they can “learn” from transactions, external data sources and systems of
Applied AI Streamlines Healthcare Processes
Systems that
DO
Systems that
THINK
Systems that
LEARN
Robotic
Process
Automation
IT Process
Automation
Sentiment
Analysis
Smart
Sensors
Image &
Speech
Recognition
Natural
Language
Processing
Machine
Learning
Data
Ingestion
Speech-to
Text
Conversion
Replicate repetitive
human actions
Learning capabilities
handle judgment-oriented
tasks
Learn to understand context,
adapt to users and systems
STANDARD ADVANCED
Figure 4
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Digital Business
Real-time operation is the
essence of the on-demand
health services platform.
Consumers choose Uber drivers
based on up-to-the-minute route
pricing and passenger reviews.
Payers must emulate this level
of detail and timeliness.
Digital Business
| Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy16
record. These learnings net significant business advantages, from accelerating processes such as
interpreting radiological films and adjudicating claims, to anticipating the life stage needs of individ-
ual healthcare consumers.
Collaborate Across the Payer, Provider and Pharma Value Chains
The requirements of value-based care are causing traditional industry boundaries to blur as health
plans, healthcare systems and biopharma companies all strive to prove they deliver optimal outcomes.
Greater collaboration among these sectors, such as clinical data sharing, would likely enable analytics
tools to distill more meaningful insights to collect evidence, refine therapies, improve adherence, etc.,
for better outcomes.
Simplify & Modernize Legacy Assets
By rationalizing and consolidating IT assets and streamlining processes with virtualization and auto-
mation, healthcare organizations can reduce costs and reallocate resources to next-generation
capabilities. Adopting cloud and methodologies like DevOps enables healthcare organizations to build
those capabilities more quickly and cost-efficiently.
Enable Real-time Transactions
Real-time operation is the essence of the on-demand health services platform. Consumers choose
Uber drivers based on up-to-the-minute route pricing and passenger reviews. Payers must emulate
this level of detail and timeliness.
FINAL THOUGHTS: WHAT TO DO TODAY ABOUT TOMORROW
The following actions will enable healthcare organizations to create mechanisms and processes to
complement the aforementioned guiding principles and reap greater benefits.
•	 Determine where to position the company within the digital ecosystem. This positioning should
be flexible, yet specific enough to guide investments and initiatives. Taking inventory of current
market strengths and core competencies should help reveal the best business model for the orga-
nization.
•	 Sell the vision to key stakeholders. Getting a group of influential champions behind the vision
helps ensure the organization is working toward a common goal.
•	 Create a plan for the digital transformation. Sequence the plan for quick wins, such as address-
ing obvious pain points and meeting clear market demand. Each win will help drive acceptance of
the overarching vision.
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Digital Business
•	 Establish sponsorship and governance. Many organizations make ad hoc digital investments
with no overarching governance or maintenance strategy. A digital owner, such as a chief digital
officer, and a supporting strategy office should vet all key initiatives and programs related to digi-
tal capabilities to ensure they align with the organization’s objectives.
•	 Accelerate the budgeting process. Budgeting must reflect the speed of the market. Organiza-
tions should move from annual budgeting to quarterly to monthly, and allocate funds rapidly and
dynamically. Succeeding with digital transformation often requires cutting budgets for legacy
operations. That said, IT automation and simplification enables legacy operations to run more
efficiently, freeing up funds that can be directed to new initiatives.
•	 Learn to innovate under pressure. Reinforce the importance of rapid, continual business model
innovation. Institutionalize a culture of innovation across the enterprise that rewards iteration,
prototyping, failing fast and trying again.
The C2B on-demand healthcare platform economy will reward new value propositions and erode exist-
ing ones. Digital health start-ups are challenging industry incumbents with new business models and
new ways of engaging customers. Existing companies will need to embrace the on-demand economy
and transform their service and delivery systems to meet consumer demand, or find themselves
upended by those that embrace this shift.
Future mapping exercises cannot offer certainties, but they do help clarify possibilities rooted in
facts and trends. With possible destinations in sight – and armed with the knowledge of their
relative strengths – health plans can plot their course toward the future and take better charge of
their destinies.
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| Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy18
FOOTNOTES
1	 Bruce Japsen, “Health On-Demand Attracts $1B in Investments,” Forbes, Feb. 2, 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/bruce-
japsen/2016/02/02/investment-in-on-demand-healthcare-companies-to-hit-1-billion/#3922c7b84ae9.
2	 Clifton Leaf, “Where AI Will Pay Off Most in Healthcare,” Fortune, June 19, 2017, http://fortune.com/2017/06/19/healthcare-ar-
tificial-intelligence-accenture/.
3	 “Telehealth Expansion Initiatives Helping to Increase Patient Choice and Access,” The National Law Review, May 20, 2016,
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/telehealth-expansion-initiatives-helping-to-increase-patient-choice-and-access.
4	 Kia Kokalitcheva, “More than Half of Kaiser Permanente’s Patient Visits Are Done Virtually,” Fortune, Oct. 6, 2016, http://for-
tune.com/2016/10/06/kaiser-permanente-virtual-doctor-visits/.
5	 Paul Elish, “Telehealth’s Year in Review: 5 Trends in State Policies,” Advisory Board, Jan. 26, 2017, https://www.advisory.com/
research/market-innovation-center/the-growth-channel/2017/01/state-telehealth-2017.
6	 Meghana Keshavan, “20 Key Players in the Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Market,” MedCityNews, Jan. 20, 2016, http://med-
citynews.com/2016/01/20-key-players-in-the-direct-to-consumer-lab-testing-market/.
7	 Robert Pearl, “Engaging Physicians in Telehealth,” NEJM Catalyst, July 10, 2017, http://catalyst.nejm.org/engaging-physi-
cians-in-telehealth/.
8	 Eugene Kim, “Amazon Has a Secret Health Tech Team Called 1492 Working on Medical Records, Virtual Doc Visits,” CNBC, July
27, 2017, http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/26/amazon-1492-secret-health-tech-project.html.
William (Bill) Shea is a Vice-President with Cognizant Consulting’s
Healthcare Practice, where he leads the payer market segment
including health plans, pharmacy benefit managers and
government programs. He has over 20 years of experience in
management consulting in the health industry across payer,
purchaser and provider markets. Bill has significant experience
in health plan strategy and operations in the areas of digital
transformation, consumer engagement, value-based care,
provider network management and product development. He
can be reached at William.Shea@cognizant.com.
Patricia (Trish) Birch is a Senior Vice-President with Cognizant
Consulting’s Healthcare Practice, where she leads the company’s
healthcare consulting group. Trish has over 25 years of experi-
ence in operations and management consulting and is a published
author and speaker on issues facing the industry. She has years
of hands-on experience managing and executing complex busi-
ness and technology programs, and has served many of the
largest organizations across the industry. Trish can be reached at
Patricia.Birch@cognizant.com.
William Shea
Vice-President,
Cognizant Consulting’s
Healthcare Practice
Patricia Birch
Senior Vice-President,
Cognizant Consulting’s
Healthcare Practice
19Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy |
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank Soumitra Nanda, Senior Director,
Cognizant Consulting’s Healthcare Practice, and Anand Jha,
Director, Cognizant Consulting’s Healthcare Practice, for their
contributions to this white paper.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
© Copyright 2017, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic,
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ABOUT COGNIZANT CONSULTING
With over 5,500 consultants worldwide, Cognizant Consulting offers high-value digital business and IT consulting services that improve
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egy and transformation capabilities, and analytical insights to help improve productivity, drive business transformation and increase
shareholder value across the enterprise. To learn more, please visit www.cognizant.com/consulting or e-mail us at inquiry@cognizant .com.
ABOUT COGNIZANT HEALTHCARE
Cognizant’s Healthcare Business Unit works with healthcare organizations to provide collaborative, innovative solutions that address the
industry’s most pressing IT and business challenges — from rethinking new business models, to optimizing operations and enabling technol-
ogy innovation. A global leader in healthcare, our industry-specific services and solutions support leading payers, providers and pharmacy
benefit managers worldwide. For more information, visit www.cognizant.com/healthcare.
ABOUT COGNIZANT
Cognizant (NASDAQ-100: CTSH) is one of the world’s leading professional services companies, transforming clients’ business, operating and
technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build and run more innova-
tive and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant is ranked 205 on the Fortune 500 and is consistently listed among the
most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com or follow us @Cognizant.
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Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy

  • 1. Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy Even as on-demand healthcare platforms disrupt the industry, they create possibilities for new value propositions, partnerships and business models that will further reshape the cost and delivery of care. DIGITAL BUSINESS August 2017
  • 2. 2 | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy Digital Business EXECUTIVE SUMMARY We live in an on-demand world. Consumers expect convenience, simplicity, speed and immediate satisfaction – sometimes even at the expense of quality and privacy. Numerous large technology vendors and digital start-ups are actively responding to the call, leveraging peer-to-peer sharing and on-demand environments to upend traditional supply and demand equations. Innovative techniques and next-generation technology platforms have radically reshaped supply chains in many industries – examples include Amazon in publishing and retail, Uber and Lyft in transportation, and iTunes in music (see Figure 1). Healthcare is next. How might on-demand healthcare platforms reshape – and potentially disintermediate – the traditional health plan value proposition? Change: The Only Constant Next-generation technologies are reshaping supply chains across all industries and are now beginning to impact healthcare. Digital platforms Global scale Minimized assets Price transparency Peer-to-peer sharing Leveraged assets Online reputation Mobile-first Digital payments THE PRESENT THE FUTURE Large intermediaries Owned assets Brick-and-mortar Low-tech Information imbalance Word-of-mouth High cost Local isolation Long innovation cycles Figure 1
  • 3. 3Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy | Digital Business Through our experience and interaction with clients across the healthcare space, we’ve spent a good deal of time analyzing the impact of these forces. Moreover, we have actively engaged some of our most strategic healthcare clients in future-mapping and forecasting exercises intended to help predict: • What the healthcare industry will look like in five years. • The opportunities of digital disruption for health plans. • Where health plans should place their big bets. • How health plans should become future-ready. This white paper synthesizes the output and initial conclusions of our future-mapping work and explains why and where a consumer-to-business (C2B) on-demand healthcare platform economy is emerging, the new business models it will shape, and what types of “no-regrets” investments will serve health plans regardless of which scenario plays out.
  • 4. Digital Business | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy4 THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME: THE ON-DEMAND PLATFORM ECONOMY Although healthcare has lagged other industries in on-demand offerings, this is about to change. Market dynamics and digital are affecting every aspect of the healthcare industry. Venture capital investment in on-demand healthcare is rising rapidly, making it one of the fastest growing on-demand segments.1 At the same time, healthcare is one of the most active segments of artificial intelligence (AI) investment.2 The U.S. generated $14 billion in global business in 2015 for telehealth and telemed- icine services, with a predicted increase to nearly $20 billion by 2020.3 Add in the estimated $20 billion worth of annual investments in mobile health and virtual care over the next five years, and a very different healthcare ecosystem comes into view in the not-too-distant horizon. The evidence clearly indicates that the on-demand economy — broadly defined as business activity created by technology platforms that fulfill consumer demand via the immediate provisioning of goods and services – is already at work in healthcare (Figure 2, next page). Services such as Doctor on Demand, HealthTap, American Well and Teladoc are already enabling hundreds of thousands of con- sumers to consult physicians in real-time via mobile apps. Pager and Heal provide in-person physician house calls on-demand. Consumers will access a wide range of healthcare services via on-demand platforms fueled by “systems of intelligence,” which are virtual machines powered by AI and machine learning, data and processing power. APIs will enable external players to plug their offerings into the platform. Somebelievetheoverallcomplexityof healthcare delivery and funding models render the industry immune to the radical disruption associated with on-demand platforms; we disagree. This phenomenon isn’t limited to start-ups. Enterprises are adopting on-demand at scale. More than half of Kaiser Permanente’s physician-patient interactions are now virtual, overtaking in-person inter- actions.4 Nearly all large payers now reimburse for some virtual visits – and government is backing the approach. Private payer telehealth parity laws now exist in 31 states, plus Washington, D.C., and 20 states (plus D.C.) have Medicaid parity laws.5 Direct-to-consumer laboratory testing is reportedly a $211 million market and forecast to reach more than $353 million by 2020.6 Cloud and mobile technologies are enabling providers and consumers to tap into what’s essentially a global supply of clinical expertise. As a result, an ever-increasing number of primary care providers and specialists are augmenting their traditional practices by engaging in virtual care consultations, providing diagnostic and treatment services delivered via on-demand platforms.7 Some believe the overall complexity of healthcare delivery and funding models render the industry immune to the radical disruption associated with on-demand platforms; we disagree. These technol- ogy and cultural currents are already eroding the foundations of health industry business models and their corresponding value propositions. Technology – from automation and analytics, to wearables and in-home monitoring devices – is advancing steadily and creating ever more business possibilities.
  • 5. 5Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy | Digital Business The On-Demand Healthcare Ecosystem Consumers will access a wide range of healthcare services via on-demand platforms fueled by “systems of intelligence,” virtual machines powered by AI and machine learning, data and processing power. APIs will enable external players to plug their offerings into the platform. Infrastructure (Data centers, networking, the cloud, etc.) THE APPLICATION The presentation layer we engage with to buy, sell, learn, communicate THE DIGITAL PROCESS The logic and workflow we follow when we book an appointment, process a claim, fill a prescription, or check on an MRI machine THE INTERFACE Smartphones, tablets, computers, machines, voice Patients/Clinicians/Partners Data from other sources AI SOFTWARE Algorithms, automation processes, machine learning, neural networks Systems of record (EMR, CRM, HIE) IoT infrastructure sensors and connectivity Personalized recommendations Digital operating system Figure 2 Moving at “Silicon Valley speed,” these technologies are laying the groundwork for a comprehensive, consumer-centric, on-demand healthcare platform that promises to radically transform how health- care is accessed, delivered and paid for. The platforms powering this shift will transcend business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) models: C2B platforms will empower con- sumers to build their own systems of care. Ubiquitous smartphones plus the Internet of Things (IoT) plus the app economy all add up to a level of consumer empowerment that will profoundly impact the core value propositions of today’s health plans and managed care organizations.
  • 6. 6 | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy Digital Business Ubiquitous smartphones plus the Internet of Things (IoT) plus the app economy all add up to a level of consumer empowerment that will profoundly impact the core value propositions of today’s health plans and managed care organizations.
  • 7. 7Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy | Digital Business PROBING THE ON-DEMAND PLATFORM ECONOMY Incumbent stakeholders will need to evolve as quickly as the technology. C2B platforms pose existen- tial threats to key organizing principles of today’s managed care organizations and could undermine the industry’s migration toward larger, more integrated systems. The shifting environment is creating opportunities for new entrants, with billions of dollars of incumbent revenues ultimately in play. The on-demand economy will empower consumers to choose healthcare providers and services based on convenience and personal criteria vs. the rules of a third-party gatekeeper or health insurer – accelerating price and quality transparency. The on-demand economy will empower consumers to choose healthcare providers and services based on convenience and personal criteria vs. the rules of a third-party gatekeeper or health insurer – accelerating price and quality transparency. Freed from the confines of proprietary PPO and HMO provider networks, consumers will shop for an array of competitively priced wellness and medical services offered by the ever-increasing supply of primary care providers, specialists and ancillary service providers choosing to practice healthcare via on-demand platforms. As substantial amounts of primary and specialty care become easily accessible through Internet- enabled care, virtual care or self-care, patient satisfaction will increase, as will the amount of time physicians are able to focus on critical care needs. All industry players will feel the impact of the C2B healthcare platform economy and on-demand marketplace: • Health insurers will be confronted with the erosion of their core value proposition: building pro- prietary provider networks and offering volume-based provider discounts. • Integrated delivery systems will face new demands for transparency in quality and pricing and new models of competition. • Biopharma and medical device companies will face consumer-driven demands for evidence of the value of their offerings.
  • 8. Digital Business | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy8 Emerging Business Model Archetypes for the C2B On-Demand Economy As traditional value propositions are disrupted and new players enter, health plans will need to reas- sess and refine their business models. To better understand potential options, we engaged several of our most strategic clients in a series of future mapping and foresight exercises to identify potential health plan business models for 2020 and beyond. The following sections briefly describe four of the alternative business model archetypes that emerged from our future-casting strategy sessions. We are not suggesting that organizations target one model over the other; in practice, organizations are likely to blend these models and adopt hybrid approaches based on their market positions, the populations they serve and the competitors they face. BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPE ONE: BECOME THE ON-DEMAND C2B HEALTHCARE PLATFORM PROVIDER Over the past decade, we have seen health plans diversify into higher margin businesses that take them further and further away from traditional insurance business models. In fact, diversification into non-insurance lines of business (LOBs) has increasingly become table stakes for many large health insurers, including Cambia Health Solutions, Guidewell Mutual Holdings, Highmark Group, Aetna Group, UnitedHealth Group and others. These companies are either acquiring or incubating digitally- focused healthcare start-ups or monetizing existing health plan platforms (analytics, claims process- ing, care management, sales and marketing) by selling them as-a-service to other payers or into the emerging risk-bearing provider market. As the industry enters the on-demand economy, one business model option for health plans is to leverage their existing investments in digital technology assets and platforms to create a game- changing on-demand platform. The platform would help power the new digital healthcare market- place connecting producers and consumers (see Figure 3, next page). A successful on-demand platform will provide delightful experiences to consumers by giving them convenience (access), affordability and transparency. It will be two-sided, managing both the supply and demand areas of the client ecosystem, and driving consumer experience. New competitors have already emerged, finding opportunities in supplying platform technology and/ or the apps and services available via a C2B on-demand health platform. In addition, Amazon is reported to be developing a healthcare platform, and other large tech companies, including Apple, Google, GE and even eBay, all have healthcare platform aspirations.8 However none have achieved scale – yet. Incumbent health plan players with existing technology-focused LOBs may have a unique advantage when it comes to developing a scalable and intelligent platform empowering healthcare consumers: their deep familiarity with the array of specialized service providers and suppliers required across the healthcare continuum (wellness, prevention, chronic care, acute care, etc.) and market segments. Health plans are already adept at managing healthcare demand and supply and have long-standing relationships with providers and suppliers.
  • 9. 9Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy | Digital Business The challenge will be leveraging this industry and technology expertise to deliver an on-demand ful- fillment capability that sits within an ecosystem of health app and service providers with plug-and-play offerings. This ability will be the new business differentiator. It is unlikely that a single end-to-end platform winner will appear. Rather, a set of winning platforms will likely coexist and address specific domains, such as virtual care, decision support, consumer engagement and information aggregation and sharing. In addition, a proliferation of solution provid- ers will emerge. Each will want to integrate with and provide services to this new platform-enabled economy. This path may also be a viable business model option for some health plans. Game-Changing Digital Health Platform A successful on-demand platform will provide delightful experiences to consumers by giving them convenience (access), affordability and transparency. It will be two-sided, managing both the supply and demand areas of the client ecosystem, and driving consumer experience. PartnerSupplierPublic Health SocialDevicesProvider Engagement (Workflows) Intelligence (AI) Data External Data (Providers, partners, suppliers, government agencies) Internal Data (Operations – systems of record) Device Data (Personal devices, medical devices, IoT) Algorithms Machine Learning Neural Networks Decision Automation A/V/I Recognition Buy/Sell Communicate Learn Alert/ Notifications Monitor Data Aggregation Payment/ Fulfillment Advanced Analytics APIs EXPERIENCE Private/ Public/Hybrid Cloud Tablets Smartphones Bots Desktop Kiosks Figure 3
  • 10. Digital Business | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy10 BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPE TWO: INSURANCE POWERHOUSE – BACK TO THE FUTURE The C2B healthcare on-demand economy will disintermediate some of the key value propositions of today’s managed care organizations (e.g., proprietary provider networks and negotiated provider dis- counts). The on-demand economy will drive down prices for certain medical services and bring the industry closer to market-driven price transparency and consumer financial accountability. This will likely accelerate the current trend toward high-deductible and catastrophic insurance prod- ucts, coupled with health savings accounts (HSAs). If these trends diminish the value of managed care networks and preferred pricing arrangements, then health plans may consider returning to their pre-managed care origins and pursue a classic insurance model of benefit design, risk management and underwriting. Some organizations will leverage this expertise and become a one-stop shop for all of a customer’s varied insurance needs. These entities will serve consumers and businesses with bundled and unbun- dled offerings for life, property, health, auto, long-term care and other insurance needs. These diversified insurance players will have the economies of scale necessary to better manage profit and loss across multiple lines of business. This flexibility should enable these companies to take creative approaches to health-related insurance, going beyond catastrophic care policies with health savings accounts and creating personalized policies targeted to very specific market segments. Companies like Geico, AIG and others will also find this opportunity attractive and will aggressively enter the health insurance markets – providing stiff competition to incumbent health insurers and health plans. EMERGING BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPE THREE: INTEGRATED DELIVERY MODEL AT SCALE Rapidly accelerating digital technologies give consumers more control over the care they want and need. This trend has the potential to upend the healthcare industry’s move toward greater consolida- tion and scale. In the not too distant future, financially accountable, self-directed, tech-enabled consumers will avail themselves of a range of on-demand health services from a variety of providers. As a result, they will essentially be able to create their own systems of care, controlling not just where they access care, but also how and from whom, as well as the price they pay. The impact of these changes on integrated healthcare delivery models stands to be immense, forcing the industry to reconcile the tension between large, closed-network, fully integrated healthcare sys- tems that prioritize efficiency and scale, and newer, more distributed digital upstarts that emphasize speed and consumer experience (see Quick Take, next page). Yet on-demand healthcare and integrated delivery are not mutually exclusive. In fact, some of the largest integrated delivery systems (IDS), like Kaiser, are now providing on-demand healthcare at the
  • 11. QUICK TAKE A Perspective on Providers The on-demand healthcare economy will disrupt traditional providers along the entire continuum of care. Consumers will increasingly have access to apps and tools that allow them to navigate a complex healthcare ecosystem, picking and choosing location, cost and quality based on their own personal criteria, essentially building their own “customized to me” system of care. Diagnostic and therapeutic innovations, precision and personalized medicine and continued advances in technology that reduce costs and enable “any- where” care will create even more momentum behind highly personalized, consumer-driven systems of care. These innovations already are evident: the da Vinci Surgical System and other robot-assisted surgery; remote ICU monitoring; telemedicine networks like Teladoc and HealthTap; and more in-home care and house calls. As such innovations reduce the cost of care, many consumers may be able to afford direct payments vs. filing a claim. In turn, more health plans may be designed for catastrophic care or specific types of chronic conditions, further reshaping provider reimbursements. Providers must consider how these trends will affect their value proposi- tion, which for integrated delivery systems has been to offer employers and health plans a wide range of care within a single network to control quality and costs. Providers may need to retool or amplify this value proposition; we continue to investigate these developments and will share more in-depth analysis on the impact of the on-demand healthcare economy on providers in upcoming reports. 11Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy | Digital Business
  • 12. | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy12 enterprise level. The combination of IDS and the on-demand healthcare platform economy will fuel integrated delivery at scale and accelerate the viability of national accountable care organizations (ACOs). Integrated delivery systems have proved their value. The science underlying evidence-based medicine and population health management clearly indicates that integrated systems of care deliver better cost and quality outcomes than fragmented ones. Integrated delivery models also have demonstrated the cost-saving advantages associated with narrowing consumer choice to a vetted and curated set of cost-effective providers. Due to the absence of real price and quality transparency, healthcare has long been resistant to traditional market-driven economics. The closed-system characteristics of IDS have proved to be effective “proxies” for open markets, aligning incentives to manage both the supply and demand sides of the equation. EMERGING BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPE FOUR: HEALTH, WEALTH AND LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT As accelerating market forces and technology advances transform the industry, “healthcare” will transition to “lifecare” through cheaper, quicker and more convenient care delivery. Artificial intelli- gence innovations will provide consumers with new tools for lifestyle management and personal health monitoring. Demand for disease prevention, stress reduction, optimized health and quali- ty-of-life enhancements will grow. Health plans are expanding their roles as intermediaries and trusted advisers into this potentially lucrative health, wealth and lifestyle management space. Health plans have long played a valuable role in helping consumers understand the financial impact of the plans they buy and have invested significantly in tools that can help members manage health- care financial responsibilities and their health risks. Many health plans are already diversifying into adjacent services (i.e., expanding beyond population health management to address the social deter- minants of health); moving beyond wellness into lifestyle services and support; and broadening the array of services they provide to help members manage health savings accounts and health finances to include non-health related personal finances. However, as health plans pivot to focus on these adjacencies, they’ll have plenty of competition. Retirement and traditional wealth advisers are already beginning to include health risk management As accelerating market forces and technology advances transform the industry, “healthcare” will transition to “lifecare” through cheaper, quicker and more convenient care delivery.
  • 13. 13Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy | and healthcare financial management in the services they are bringing to market, including funds management related to long-term care, health savings accounts and other health-related matters. Players in adjacent industries, such as P&C/life insurance and financial services, are offering new ways to manage healthcare financing alongside traditional wealth management. Competition for lifecare customers also will accelerate the convergence of the hospitality, spa, medi- cal and tourism industries. Watch for destination health resorts, medical facilities with prevention programs, age management centers, hotels with medical and wellness offerings, and healthy lifestyle residential communities to emerge. Each of these entities offers health plans opportunities for alli- ance partnerships and new business models focused on prevention and healthy lifestyles. Examples include advisory services, credentialing of providers, contract management, etc. While these partner ventures may be “radical adjacencies,” the on-demand health economy will call for health plans to embrace these types of unusual opportunities. MAKING ’NO-REGRETS’ INVESTMENTS Significant barriers must be overcome before these shifts in healthcare market dynamics can fully be realized – but the direction is clear. The pace at which consumers are replacing traditional health- care services with digital ones is rapidly accelerating. The remaining open questions are: • When will we reach a tipping point? • How painful will the disintermediating effects be on traditional payer business models? In light of these uncertainties, we suggest health plan payers consider a variety of no-regrets invest- ments to cover themselves regardless of the scenario that plays out. Migrating toward any of the emerging business models will require investments in new technology and capabilities. The key to no-regrets investing will be to identify the capabilities and characteristics required for success in the emerging C2B on-demand economy that will also serve the business well today. Digital Business
  • 14. Digital Business | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy14 In our view, organizations that adhere to the following guiding principles will create value today while positioning themselves for future success. Mobile First Mobile devices are everywhere, and consumers have made it clear they want to use them to manage their healthcare. When developing on-demand strategies and building solutions, health payers must design for mobility options first. (For more on this topic, see our report “The Digital Mandate for Health Plans”). Minimize Assets Use public, private or hybrid cloud services to modernize IT capabilities cost-effectively. The cloud offers increasingly sophisticated infrastructure, data center and application options that enable orga- nizations to streamline and simplify IT operations and adopt innovative solutions while avoiding capital investments. Invest in Artificial intelligence, Machine Learning and Automation AI, intelligent machines and robotic process automation deliver cost and efficiency benefits today. Hard-coding business rules into software, member services chatbots and clinical decision support sys- tems are just a few examples of how automation and AI can enable healthcare organizations to streamline rote tasks and improve services. AI and automation also power systems of learning that will enable health payers to engage on very individualized levels with health consumers (see Figure 4). Investing in “applied” or narrow AI to automate specific tasks will enable healthcare organizations to begin delivering better experiences and reduce expenses. Narrow AI applications incorporate machine intelligence so they can “learn” from transactions, external data sources and systems of Applied AI Streamlines Healthcare Processes Systems that DO Systems that THINK Systems that LEARN Robotic Process Automation IT Process Automation Sentiment Analysis Smart Sensors Image & Speech Recognition Natural Language Processing Machine Learning Data Ingestion Speech-to Text Conversion Replicate repetitive human actions Learning capabilities handle judgment-oriented tasks Learn to understand context, adapt to users and systems STANDARD ADVANCED Figure 4
  • 15. 15Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy | Digital Business Real-time operation is the essence of the on-demand health services platform. Consumers choose Uber drivers based on up-to-the-minute route pricing and passenger reviews. Payers must emulate this level of detail and timeliness.
  • 16. Digital Business | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy16 record. These learnings net significant business advantages, from accelerating processes such as interpreting radiological films and adjudicating claims, to anticipating the life stage needs of individ- ual healthcare consumers. Collaborate Across the Payer, Provider and Pharma Value Chains The requirements of value-based care are causing traditional industry boundaries to blur as health plans, healthcare systems and biopharma companies all strive to prove they deliver optimal outcomes. Greater collaboration among these sectors, such as clinical data sharing, would likely enable analytics tools to distill more meaningful insights to collect evidence, refine therapies, improve adherence, etc., for better outcomes. Simplify & Modernize Legacy Assets By rationalizing and consolidating IT assets and streamlining processes with virtualization and auto- mation, healthcare organizations can reduce costs and reallocate resources to next-generation capabilities. Adopting cloud and methodologies like DevOps enables healthcare organizations to build those capabilities more quickly and cost-efficiently. Enable Real-time Transactions Real-time operation is the essence of the on-demand health services platform. Consumers choose Uber drivers based on up-to-the-minute route pricing and passenger reviews. Payers must emulate this level of detail and timeliness. FINAL THOUGHTS: WHAT TO DO TODAY ABOUT TOMORROW The following actions will enable healthcare organizations to create mechanisms and processes to complement the aforementioned guiding principles and reap greater benefits. • Determine where to position the company within the digital ecosystem. This positioning should be flexible, yet specific enough to guide investments and initiatives. Taking inventory of current market strengths and core competencies should help reveal the best business model for the orga- nization. • Sell the vision to key stakeholders. Getting a group of influential champions behind the vision helps ensure the organization is working toward a common goal. • Create a plan for the digital transformation. Sequence the plan for quick wins, such as address- ing obvious pain points and meeting clear market demand. Each win will help drive acceptance of the overarching vision.
  • 17. 17Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy | Digital Business • Establish sponsorship and governance. Many organizations make ad hoc digital investments with no overarching governance or maintenance strategy. A digital owner, such as a chief digital officer, and a supporting strategy office should vet all key initiatives and programs related to digi- tal capabilities to ensure they align with the organization’s objectives. • Accelerate the budgeting process. Budgeting must reflect the speed of the market. Organiza- tions should move from annual budgeting to quarterly to monthly, and allocate funds rapidly and dynamically. Succeeding with digital transformation often requires cutting budgets for legacy operations. That said, IT automation and simplification enables legacy operations to run more efficiently, freeing up funds that can be directed to new initiatives. • Learn to innovate under pressure. Reinforce the importance of rapid, continual business model innovation. Institutionalize a culture of innovation across the enterprise that rewards iteration, prototyping, failing fast and trying again. The C2B on-demand healthcare platform economy will reward new value propositions and erode exist- ing ones. Digital health start-ups are challenging industry incumbents with new business models and new ways of engaging customers. Existing companies will need to embrace the on-demand economy and transform their service and delivery systems to meet consumer demand, or find themselves upended by those that embrace this shift. Future mapping exercises cannot offer certainties, but they do help clarify possibilities rooted in facts and trends. With possible destinations in sight – and armed with the knowledge of their relative strengths – health plans can plot their course toward the future and take better charge of their destinies.
  • 18. Digital Business | Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy18 FOOTNOTES 1 Bruce Japsen, “Health On-Demand Attracts $1B in Investments,” Forbes, Feb. 2, 2016, https://www.forbes.com/sites/bruce- japsen/2016/02/02/investment-in-on-demand-healthcare-companies-to-hit-1-billion/#3922c7b84ae9. 2 Clifton Leaf, “Where AI Will Pay Off Most in Healthcare,” Fortune, June 19, 2017, http://fortune.com/2017/06/19/healthcare-ar- tificial-intelligence-accenture/. 3 “Telehealth Expansion Initiatives Helping to Increase Patient Choice and Access,” The National Law Review, May 20, 2016, https://www.natlawreview.com/article/telehealth-expansion-initiatives-helping-to-increase-patient-choice-and-access. 4 Kia Kokalitcheva, “More than Half of Kaiser Permanente’s Patient Visits Are Done Virtually,” Fortune, Oct. 6, 2016, http://for- tune.com/2016/10/06/kaiser-permanente-virtual-doctor-visits/. 5 Paul Elish, “Telehealth’s Year in Review: 5 Trends in State Policies,” Advisory Board, Jan. 26, 2017, https://www.advisory.com/ research/market-innovation-center/the-growth-channel/2017/01/state-telehealth-2017. 6 Meghana Keshavan, “20 Key Players in the Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Market,” MedCityNews, Jan. 20, 2016, http://med- citynews.com/2016/01/20-key-players-in-the-direct-to-consumer-lab-testing-market/. 7 Robert Pearl, “Engaging Physicians in Telehealth,” NEJM Catalyst, July 10, 2017, http://catalyst.nejm.org/engaging-physi- cians-in-telehealth/. 8 Eugene Kim, “Amazon Has a Secret Health Tech Team Called 1492 Working on Medical Records, Virtual Doc Visits,” CNBC, July 27, 2017, http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/26/amazon-1492-secret-health-tech-project.html.
  • 19. William (Bill) Shea is a Vice-President with Cognizant Consulting’s Healthcare Practice, where he leads the payer market segment including health plans, pharmacy benefit managers and government programs. He has over 20 years of experience in management consulting in the health industry across payer, purchaser and provider markets. Bill has significant experience in health plan strategy and operations in the areas of digital transformation, consumer engagement, value-based care, provider network management and product development. He can be reached at William.Shea@cognizant.com. Patricia (Trish) Birch is a Senior Vice-President with Cognizant Consulting’s Healthcare Practice, where she leads the company’s healthcare consulting group. Trish has over 25 years of experi- ence in operations and management consulting and is a published author and speaker on issues facing the industry. She has years of hands-on experience managing and executing complex busi- ness and technology programs, and has served many of the largest organizations across the industry. Trish can be reached at Patricia.Birch@cognizant.com. William Shea Vice-President, Cognizant Consulting’s Healthcare Practice Patricia Birch Senior Vice-President, Cognizant Consulting’s Healthcare Practice 19Rethinking Health Plan Business Models for the Emerging On-Demand Digital Economy | Digital Business ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to thank Soumitra Nanda, Senior Director, Cognizant Consulting’s Healthcare Practice, and Anand Jha, Director, Cognizant Consulting’s Healthcare Practice, for their contributions to this white paper. ABOUT THE AUTHORS
  • 20. © Copyright 2017, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. TL Codex 2846 ABOUT COGNIZANT CONSULTING With over 5,500 consultants worldwide, Cognizant Consulting offers high-value digital business and IT consulting services that improve business performance and operational productivity while lowering operational costs. Clients leverage our deep industry experience, strat- egy and transformation capabilities, and analytical insights to help improve productivity, drive business transformation and increase shareholder value across the enterprise. To learn more, please visit www.cognizant.com/consulting or e-mail us at inquiry@cognizant .com. ABOUT COGNIZANT HEALTHCARE Cognizant’s Healthcare Business Unit works with healthcare organizations to provide collaborative, innovative solutions that address the industry’s most pressing IT and business challenges — from rethinking new business models, to optimizing operations and enabling technol- ogy innovation. A global leader in healthcare, our industry-specific services and solutions support leading payers, providers and pharmacy benefit managers worldwide. For more information, visit www.cognizant.com/healthcare. ABOUT COGNIZANT Cognizant (NASDAQ-100: CTSH) is one of the world’s leading professional services companies, transforming clients’ business, operating and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build and run more innova- tive and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant is ranked 205 on the Fortune 500 and is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com or follow us @Cognizant. World Headquarters 500 Frank W. Burr Blvd. Teaneck, NJ 07666 USA Phone: +1 201 801 0233 Fax: +1 201 801 0243 Toll Free: +1 888 937 3277 European Headquarters 1 Kingdom Street Paddington Central London W2 6BD England Phone: +44 (0) 20 7297 7600 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7121 0102 India Operations Headquarters #5/535 Old Mahabalipuram Road Okkiyam Pettai, Thoraipakkam Chennai, 600 096 India Phone: +91 (0) 44 4209 6000 Fax: +91 (0) 44 4209 6060