Project Overview
Access Health CT (ahCT) is a leading State Based Health Insurance Exchanges (HIX) nationally, providing a highly successful implementation since State Based HIX went live on October 01, 2013.
ahCT Mobile is a visionary step forward in providing consumer focused government services. It pioneers the application of digital technologies to HIX and Health and Human Services organizations. The App provides customers several important services at their fingertips, including plan information, healthcare options, benefits screening, submission of verifications using mobile devices, and with the latest release, “mobile enroll” now provides the fastest and most convenient way to buy a health plan.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Peter Nichol, Director/Head IT, Access Health CT
Jason Madrak, Chief Marketing Officer, Access Health CT
Rina Singh, Executive Project Manager, Amtex Systems Inc.
Access Health CT formed a dedicated cross-functional team for the initiative and hired Amtex Systems as a vendor with experience in digital software product development utilizing mobile and Cloud technologies to realize the vision of this initiative. The cross-functional team at ahCT includes representatives from Business, Operations, Policy, Marketing and Information Technology to form a core team that has worked with Amtex Systems to design a product that applies digital technologies to have a transformational impact across the industry.
Project Brief
With ahCT Mobile, Access Health CT is a visionary leader pioneering the application of digital technologies to Health Insurance Exchanges. ahCT Mobile has utilized these technologies to transform and evolve Health Insurance Exchanges to the next level by digitizing the business model to significantly enhance the consumer experience while streamlining the process for enrolling in benefits and buying health insurance.
Access Health CT is the only State Based HIX to implement a feature rich mobile platform that integrates closely with its backend systems. The mobile platform provides several features that have a dramatic effect on customer experience and the way Access Health CT representatives interact with customers:
-Exchange representatives can provide customers a financial quote within seconds on a mobile device
-Customers have plan information at their fingertips to evaluate health insurance options
-Streamlined customer verifications with 10,000+ verification documents submitted using mobile device cameras
-Customers have instant access to messages and notices from the Exchange
-Mobile enroll stands out as the first and only such facility nationally that allows customers to apply for a Qualified Health Plan (QHP), 100% on a mobile device – this innovative channel reduces the average application time to 10 minutes providing the quickest and easiest way to buy health insurance
Furthermore ahCT Mobile has been developed from the ground up as a SaaS platform that can be configured to provide a mobile platform and digital services to other State Based HIX, Private HIX, State Health and Human Services organizations and Insurance Carriers.
Project Need
Health Insurance Exchanges (HIX) are stimulating growth in the retail segment of the market, prompting a surge of individual insurance buyers forcing greater attention on the needs of members as opposed to employers. The Patient Protection and affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and the launch of Public State Based Health Insurance Exchanges on October 01, 2013 accelerated this trend.
While millions of individuals have bought health insurance and availed benefits that help paying for coverage, the industry is facing several challenges in implementing these Marketplaces. While Access Health CT and a few additional States had successful implementations, the Federal Exchange (www.healthcare.gov) and several States faced numerous challenges. The Health Insurance Exchanges are highly complex systems that carry significant implementation risk and are very expensive to build.
The long term success of HIX and this industry transformation requires reducing the risk and expense of implementing these systems and evolving past the current challenges to look at how to provide a consumer focused experience. As individuals are evermore empowered to choose their own alternatives, insurance carriers and both Public and Private Exchanges need to develop business models, capabilities and offerings that rival sophisticated product companies like Apple and Proctor & Gamble.
The ahCT Mobile platform and Digital API is a one of a kind visionary initiative that makes it possible to build a range of consumer focused applications. Additionally, this platform provides a true SaaS capability that provides a low risk, affordable solution for Public and Private Exchanges to implement digital capabilities.
User Experience
ahCT Mobile is all about improving the consumer experience. It is well understood that health insurance business processes are complex, and the industry at large is facing several challenges in implementing and adapting to the newly established Health Insurance Exchanges. While the State Based Exchanges are stabilizing, they are providing the base minimum services required for a consumer focused experience.
The ahCT Mobile platform not only enhances government services but is exceeding private sector counterparts in improving the consumer experience in obtaining health coverage. Consumers can access plan details and healthcare options at their fingertips providing quicker access to this information than ever before. With a few taps, users can screen themselves for benefits including Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTC), Cost Sharing Reductions (CSR), Medicaid and CHIP. One of the most time consuming aspects of applying for benefits and enrolling in health insurance is verifying customer information. The mobile app allows users to use their mobile devices to photograph and upload verification documents, greatly streamlining the verification process and making it easy for customers.
In preparation for the 2015 Open Enrollment, ahCT Mobile has released what will perhaps be its most transformational feature – “mobile enroll”, providing the ability to submit an application and enroll in health insurance using the ahCT Mobile app. Designed to optimize data entry and utilize mobile platform features to provide a streamlined, “slick” user experience, “mobile enrol” has a dramatic effect reducing the average Qualified Health Plan (QHP) application time to about 10 minutes.
Project Marketing
Our marketing strategy targets both customers and enterprises as we have developed a SaaS platform. On the consumer side, the ahCT Mobile app uses all aspects of our Digital API to provide features related to the consumer experience and to the interaction of Access Health CT representatives with customers at our brick and mortar stores and outreach events.
The ahCT Mobile app is published on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store, and our customer portal, www.accesshealthct.com provides links to our mobile application splash page and the App Store and Play Store links.
Access Health CT representatives use the ahCT Mobile App in working with customers at our stores and outreach events.
On the enterprise side, we have created materials describing the ahCT Mobile platform and API and also implemented case studies for other enterprises. In one such case study, we used our platform for providing a “production ready” mobile app for an enterprise within three weeks which is previously unprecedented in the area of Health Insurance Exchanges.
Project Privacy
Access health CT has implemented state of the art security and privacy for all application systems including our website, API and mobile application.
Our systems have passed through rigorous reviews and validations by the Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) to meet CMS and IRS guidelines and standards for security.
All communication for the ahCT Mobile platform and Digital API is SSL secured. User account creation uses CAPTCHA. User actions can request anonymous browsing data or authenticated user information. Anonymous browsing requests are for data such as public information on health plans which is freely available to all users.
Any user specific information requires authenticated access. All API calls accessing or storing user specific information require the user to authenticate with his/her account information.
Our security infrastructure uses a state of the art Security Identity and Access Management Solution. All web and API requests go through this infrastructure.
Additionally, we perform security and vulnerability testing of our infrastructure on a regular basis.
Government Services
This category recognises applications developed for all levels of government services.
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