WellTok: Almost All Managed Care Executives See Social Network Technology as Critical Tool for Consumer Engagement [Professional Services Close – Up]

Proquest LLC

WellTok, Inc., a developer of social health network, CafeWell, announced new data gathered from the Managed Care Executive Group Forum held in Fort Lauderdale that illustrates payers' focus on driving higher consumer engagement at a critical time in healthcare reform.

According to the Company, 94 percent of responding attendees believe that social networking technology, or social media, is a critical tool for driving consumer engagement. Fifty-six percent believe it is a must-have. And consumer engagement is a top five priority at the CEO level according to 61 percent of the attendees.

"The results demonstrate that with 2014 and health insurance exchanges not far over the horizon, it's understandable that payer executives are very focused on solutions to increase consumer engagement," said Jeff Cohen, co-founder and vice president of product strategy at WellTok.

According to a release, but the survey results and discussions at the conference revealed that the industry is uncertain about how to take advantage of social networking technology to achieve its goals. Seventy-eight percent of attendees' companies have Facebook pages and 57 percent employ a Twitter account. But, only 22 percent reported having any of their social activities tied back to the health plan's wellness programs.

"Applying social networking technology, such as CafeWell, as a component of wellness programs is quickly proving to drive dramatic engagement improvement," added Cohen. "Customer results have demonstrated 22 percentage point increases in consumers' positive brand opinions along with significant improvements in member health behavior, such as 48 percent exercising more often and 29 percent losing weight."

CafeWell: