Small, Focused Steps and Stakeholder Buy-In Drive Digital Transformation Results

If you’re reading this, you’ve spent some time in the health care space and you know that the world of health care administration is not always on the cutting edge of technology. As someone who joined this space after years in fintech, I certainly experienced some culture shock. Traditional, paper-based methods of communication are still the de-facto standard, and the fax machine--yes fax--is frequently the tool of choice.

Many in our health care community have been operating every day heavily reliant on paper and doing things simply because “it’s the way we’ve always done it.”While it’s natural to resist change, responsibility also lies with executives to properly explain the term “digital transformation” in order to effectively cultivate buy-in from important stakeholders who may be uncomfortable with the hugeness implied by the word “transformation.”

In practice though, a successful digital transformation is often achieved through many, perhaps hundreds of small changes, rather than upending operating procedures wholesale. Explaining that digital transformation takes time, necessitates the input of key stakeholders, and is a process that will undoubtedly involve missteps along the way helps to ensure buy-in not just from senior leadership, but from team members whose adoption is just as important.

At DentaQuest, the nation’s largest Medicaid dental benefits administrator, our digital transformation is underway, and it started with listening to and educating employees across our business. Getting the buy-in of early adopters who have acted as change ambassadors has been a key component to our success.

Another important component has been choosing transformation efforts that are achievable within a reasonable time frame so that we can point to specific wins as a result of our work. We’ve done this through pilot programs that have shown real success and that inspire confidence among stakeholders. I call these “quick wins” because with proven results, we can continue and expand our transformation.

DentaQuest actively manages dental benefits for more than 33 million Americans across dozens of states, contracting with health plans, government entities and more than a hundred thousand health care providers. It’s a massive operation to transform.

But by starting with manageable transformations and the aforementioned “quick wins”, we have seen success — success that we can scale in partnership with many of our other clients.

For example, one successful pilot aimed to streamline business processes, increase utilization of dental care services among members, and improve member experience. Using HIPAA-compliant SMS texting, we contacted members of one client’s plan who had not visited the dentist in the last year. The results were impressive. Switching from postcards via mail to personalized, encrypted texting contributed to a13% increase in utilization and a 10.5% rise in households with new claims submitted. That is true success for us –helping more people take advantage of important dental care benefits.

"Dentaquest Actively Manages Dental Benefits For More Than 33 Million Americans Across Dozens Of States, Contracting With Health Plans, Government Entities And More Than A Hundred Thousand Health Care Providers"

It’s because we are trying to meet members and other partners where they are. A majority of these members told us they’d be more likely to read information about their benefits if they were reached by text.

This insight helped us develop this new program and position our client for success. It's a digital transformation we will be looking to implement in other markets.

Leveraging another opportunity to meet stakeholders where they are, we created a quicker, faster way for members to update their primary dentist online, rather than via a phone call to customer service or a fax (remember I warned you earlier!) sent by the dental provider. In a year, we’ve reduced contact center calls for this client by more than 58%, improving the member experience, getting patients the care they need faster, and optimizing contact center resources.

The use of text or online services versus the phone isn’t cutting edge. But for an industry driven by compliance, privacy and the growing personal element of health care, these wins ultimately solidify buy-in from stakeholders and build stronger support. The growing confidence from each win sets everyone up for the next digital change, and the one after that, and the one after that.