Healthcare CX insights from Highmark Health and Google Cloud 

Healthcare executives across the country are pursuing aspirations of creating a more unified digital health ecosystem. But with a sea of point solutions built over the last decade causing inherent complexity, that process often results in initiatives without clear goals or metrics. 

The urgency to address this situation is only growing more intense as projections signal that 36% of all the data created in 2025¹ will come from healthcare, according to Amy Waldron, global health plan solutions leader at Google Cloud.

Waldron spoke during a Health Evolution Connect Deep Dive session in Nashville that also included Highmark Health chief operating officer Karen Hanlon and was led by League CEO Michael Serbinis. 

During the discussion, the executives shared insights about unifying the consumer experience: 

• Prioritizing the healthcare consumer experience (CX)
• Taking a platform approach 
• Leveraging the power of personalization 

Prioritizing consumer experiences

Healthcare organizations need to focus on creating consumer experiences that are inherently fluid and secure. Waldron emphasized that building and maintaining trust is a critical component to meeting consumer healthcare expectations.

In order for consumers to begin trusting a digital healthcare product with their personal data, they need to be built on a foundation that’s secure-by-design with leading-edge interoperability capabilities as well as provide a new level of transparency, consent management and value. Google Cloud achieves this by using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), best-in-industry data standards and solutions to optimize the consumer aspect of healthcare. Waldron also noted that it’s important for healthcare organizations to focus on creating seamless customer journeys across all touchpoints, from online appointment scheduling to in-person visits. 

Highmark Health’s Hanlon noted that consumer healthcare experiences must bring the healthcare consumer and clinician together. She stated that too often there is a disconnect between the two parties when it comes to digital experiences. Highmark Health has been addressing this challenge through its Living Health model, which aims to place the customer and clinician at the center of healthcare via a secure, interoperable platform. Hanlon shared that her vision for Highmark Health’s digital transformation is to “improve health outcomes, reduce the cost of care and ultimately make care more accessible.”

Taking a platform approach

Though a number of companies in the digital healthcare space use the term “platform,” Serbinis noted that very few of them have actually done the work to build a platform architecture. He complimented both Highmark Health and Google Cloud for taking a platform approach to healthcare. A key characteristic of a platform, according to Serbinis, is that it enables third-party developers to build upon it, creating a virtuous cycle of growth and innovation. He noted that this type of unified ecosystem creates more value for everyone involved, including healthcare consumers, who benefit from the added features and integrations.

“Partners like League provide a UI that creates a new experience for the user, turning the volume of data into value that’s relevant and actionable,” Google Cloud’s Waldron said.  

For Google Cloud, a platform approach means taking the best aspects of technology and data management and applying them throughout the healthcare ecosystem. Hanlon discussed how a platform approach has helped Highmark Health create a more blended, seamless healthcare experience for customers. She noted that the Living Health model is a framework that allows the organization to integrate third-party partners into their design. Highmark Health is focused on constantly evolving the platform because solutions need to be current, relevant and impactful. A platform approach allows them to add solutions and integrations to the Living Health Model, which improves the overall healthcare consumer experience.

Leveraging the power of platformization

Both Hanlon and Waldron emphasized the importance of personalized healthcare experiences. They agreed that in order for organizations to meaningfully drive engagement and trust, healthcare experiences need to be deeply personal. According to Hanlon, this means Highmark Health had to shift its digital approach from delivering healthcare to a more cohesive focus on whole-person health. Rather than engaging patients only during sporadic episodes of care, the Living Health model drives proactive engagement throughout their entire healthcare journey by connecting individuals to the resources that are the most relevant and impactful.

Waldron discussed how Google Cloud is approaching personalization in healthcare. She noted that the company is leveraging its vast data and technology resources to create a more personalized experience for each individual consumer while keeping health data secure. Data and partnerships are the keys to personalization, according to Waldron. She added that Google Cloud is working with companies such as Highmark Health and League to create experiences that have the same level of uniqueness and specificity as other, non-healthcare digital consumer experiences.

She also noted that Google Cloud is leveraging these partnerships along with artificial intelligence and machine learning to personalize healthcare consumer experiences down to the individual level. By harnessing the power of currently available data, Google is able to provide more useful features and relevant content to consumers. This includes everything from appointment reminders to educational content and articles.

What’s next: using platforms to advance health equity

Serbinis finished the conversation by discussing the importance of health equity and the responsibility healthcare organizations have to ensure that everyone has access to quality health experiences. He noted that platform technology could help bridge the gap between those who have access to quality healthcare and those who do not. Both Hanlon and Waldron agreed that digital healthcare platforms will play a critical role in addressing material and systemic health inequities.

¹Source: RBC Capital Markets, The Healthcare Data Explosion https://www.rbccm.com/en/gib/healthcare/episode/the_healthcare_data_explosion