Select Health customer service bucks industry trends

Most people don’t look forward to calling their health insurance company. In fact, a recent survey found that nearly 60% of Americans had issues with their health insurance company in the last year. ??

But Select Health, Intermountain’s insurance arm, aims to change that trend by simplifying insurance and making it easy to get care and find answers.?

In 2023, the Select Health Member Services department answered 1.2 million phone calls and 31,000 chats. The Member Advocates team, which helps members find the right doctor, made more than 19,000 appointments. ??

But it’s not just the numbers — Select Health is regularly recognized for its customer service and high satisfaction levels. It’s all in the name of making insurance accessible and empowering members to understand their health benefits by being in control of their treatments, coverage, and payments. ?

“Culture is so important for us in Member Services,” said Jenni Crump, director of Member Services. “It is a big focus and a part of the discussion in all things we're planning in our department.”??

Select Health is intentional in how it trains caregivers and aims to empower them with the training and tools to help members.??

“Our training is scenario-based, which means caregivers are trained on how to provide service on the phones,” said Jenni. “They’re given scenarios for how they can put these skills into action in a caring way. We focus on how we interact with our callers by listening to them, partnering with them, and delivering the best level of service possible.” ??

“When caregivers are empowered, they are able to do their best work and deliver on our mission and the service that sets us apart,” said Amanda Atkins, senior manager of Member Services.??

Member Advocate Jasmine Sosa showed the human side of service when she called more than a dozen providers to help a Medicare member who’d made an appointment with a specialist but hoped to see a doctor sooner. Jasmine patiently called other providers’ offices to see if anyone had earlier availability. ???

Jasmine updated the member, letting her know she hadn’t found anything sooner than the original appointment. The member said Jasmine's kindness made her feel informed and involved throughout the process.? ??

“It’s what we’re here for, to advocate for our members when they’re having a hard time doing it for themselves,” said Jasmine. “Knowing that someone felt heard and helped because of me makes me feel accomplished. If it were my own family member calling in, I’d hope someone would do the same for them.”???

Every day, Select Health caregivers receive calls and messages about a variety of member issues. Member Advocate Scota Maccarthy recently answered a call from a distressed member who needed help finding an urgent care clinic after falling in their backyard. The member had an idea of where to go, but Scota quickly discovered that the clinic didn’t offer urgent care services. ??

Scota found multiple clinics nearby where the member would be in-network and then offered to stay on the call while the member drove to the care site.? ??

During the call, the member got lost and ended up at the wrong care site. Scota confirmed that the location was in-network, allowing the member to be seen immediately. ? ???

“Our members are calling in because they don’t know what to do, where to start, who to see, or in some cases what they have to do to be seen,” Scota said. “We have all that information right in front of us. From the outside looking in, though, it can be like trying to find one specific noodle in a bowl of spaghetti.” ???

Select Health serves as partners in health – connecting members and many Intermountain patients with the right care at the right time and making healthcare more accessible. These examples of personalized services not only lead to better patient outcomes and experiences —?they help reduce costs to the patient, care provider, and Select Health.?