Progress and Collaboration on display at AHIP 2023: Conference Reflections

The AHIP Annual Conference is the guidepost for industry updates and collaboration for both health care payers and providers, and the 2023 event proved no different. But with topics such as consumerism, health equity, patient engagement and more, we still have work to do to ensure a healthier ecosystem - for all.

Year after year, the AHIP Annual Conference takes place to foster innovation, connection, and collaboration across the health care industry. From conversations with payers and providers, to case studies and research updates around member engagement and treatment options, the entire event is centered around one main topic: how America’s Health Insurance Payers – and providers – are working to create better, more accessible health care in the United States.

After this year’s conference, I sat down with Alyssa Farrell , Director of Health and Life Sciences Industry Marketing at SAS , to hear her thoughts on the event, the state of the industry, and what we all – in every area of the health care ecosystem - should be thinking about as we continue to work on behalf of patients and members.

Over the past few years, the AHIP conference has been centered around partnership, innovation, and improvements in efficiencies for payer organizations. What was the buzz of AHIP in 2023?

There was a definite energy at this year’s event and the buzz driving that energy was all about outcomes.?Speakers took a comprehensive view on outcomes, not just from a physical care perspective, but recognizing that food = health, shelter = health, equity = health, mental health = health, and more.?Hosted in Portland with significant populations suffering from substance abuse and homelessness, it was hard for AHIP attendees to ignore the needs to increase whole person care.?It served as a lightning rod to seize the opportunity for positive change.?Partnerships are still a vital tool to achieving this impact and several “payvider” relationships are delivering on the promise of improved quality outcomes. At the conference, the leaders of CareOregon made a compelling case for integrated care coordination across providers, payers and policy leaders to address the specific needs of their community. These collaborations are positively impact health outcomes.

"Payers are now using their reach to get closer to their members and more directly affect their health." - Alyssa Farrell

During the kick-off sessions, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Reed Tuckson spoke about the importance of health care information and data-driven conversations. How can technology partners help push accurate, data-driven information to patients consumers?

It is very difficult to separate unintentional misinformation from intentional disinformation. According to the Edelmen Trust Barometer , the general public has lost faith in many government and media organizations.?However, trust is on the rise for private enterprises.?Payers have an opportunity to capitalize on this trend and provide data that informs decision making, as long as it is accessible and consistent. To start building trust in the data provided to consumers, payers first need to trust the data themselves.?Organizations that have an enterprise data governance and analytic strategy are in a better position to deliver data-centric information to members and partners.?Analytic maturity also determines your ability to deploy innovative solutions that positively impact cost, quality, outcomes and experience.

Speaking of consumers, there’s a focus now more than ever around the idea of “customer obsession” in terms of how payers and providers engage with patients. What’s your take here?

I think there’s always been a bit of customer obsession as the engine for financial growth and a key measure for quality scores, but what we see now is an obsession with personalized experiences and a desire to meet customers wherever they want to engage in their health care journey.?The fracturing of the traditional provider-patient relationship has forced payers to establish new data sharing agreements with non-traditional providers, including retailers, to get a comprehensive view on member health.?For example, the CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Roz Brewer , outlined a strategy for collaboration across the health ecosystem based on her experience creating customer-centric organizations at Starbucks, Sam’s Club and other notable brands.

Rather than own every interaction, payers are taking a page from financial institutions to create more predictive models based on owned and acquired data. This is helping to complete a more holistic picture of customer needs even while the health experience is increasingly fragmented.?I think this provides an opportunity for health data aggregator solutions that unite payers, providers, retailers and health tech. Life science organizations are also pushing into this market based on their interest in health outcomes data for drug safety and drug development research. We haven’t seen “best in class” emerge yet from this fray – it’s an exciting time in health tech!

?

Leaving AHIP, leaders at payer and provider organizations are charged to move the needle in care, in patient engagement, and in health equity. What are you looking forward to most in terms of “what’s next” for health care overall?

Health equity for the win!?It’s the right time, with the right leadership, to affect policy and procedural changes that makes care more accessible and equitable for all.?We have data that demonstrates the most areas of need, as well as the future benefits over multiple generations. In a recent SAS Health Equity report , readers can dive into the analytics that can help uncover disparities, and identify opportunities to advance equity in a data-driven manner. Recent findings from Deloitte Insights ? concluded that “health inequities account for approximately $320 billion in annual health care spending signaling an unsustainable crisis for the industry.” This is not an option, it’s a humanitarian mandate.

Alyssa?Farrell leads Global Health and Life Sciences Industry Marketing at SAS.?In this role, she focuses on how SAS solutions help accelerate breakthroughs and optimize health outcomes for individuals and their communities. Follow?Alyssa?on Twitter @alyssa_farrell?and LinkedIn at?https://Linkedin.com/in/alyssafarrell ??