with Mark Jones

The healthcare system is being challenged by costs of medical care for preventable conditions, as well as the 30% of procedures that are considered unneeded. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and IDEO concluded that influencing these problems requires millions of consumers to make health care decisions that they do not understand today. We developed a framework of ASK-CHOOSE-ACT as a model for engaging consumers at times and in ways that helps them make healthier, more cost-effective decisions.

This talk will discuss how we rethought the use of every touchpoint to help people move along the continuum from passive, to active, to engaged consumers. Key to this engagement was a conscious use of the web, the call center and printed materials to extend the conversation with members into new territory. The interplay of the channels and the building of trust were managed by extending from core tasks that could be supported appropriately with the various touchpoints.

Blue Cross Blue Shield has re-designed their member experience by replacing traditional call center representatives with Health Guides who are trained in motivational interviewing and in basic medical terminology; a Primary Nurse who will coordinate the member’s care across multiple programs; and an integrated platform that brings together all of the various data and health management programs on the member’s behalf seamlessly across touchpoints.

his new customer experience will enable BCBSMN to engage members in many ways they could not before.

About Mark Jones

Mark works closely with service companies to reinvent how they serve their customers. With an extensive design background and experience in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, he uncovers user issues and converts them into actionable design strategy. Recent projects include retail banking, designing new search services for Gen Y and rethinking how a union engages its members.

Mark brings 14 years of research and design experience to IDEO. Previously as a researcher at Accenture, he applied user-centered design methods to develop innovative solutions for smart environments, wireless services and collaborative tools.

Based on the research philosophy that new services can fundamentally change how people live their lives, Mark’s leadership focuses on anticipating the nature of those changes, exploring how they influence the design approach of next-generation products and services. Mark has a BA in Fine Arts from Amherst College, AAS in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and a Master of Design from the Institute of Design at IIT.