One question was at the root of Aetna Better Health of Illinois’ recent partnership with Elektra Health, a virtual menopause care platform: “Where are we seeing healthcare needs popping up that don’t have a solution?”
During an episode of the “Becker’s Payer Issues” podcast, Melanie Fernando, president and CEO of Aetna Better Health of Illinois, elaborated on the Medicaid carrier’s work with Elektra, along with the progress the insurer expects to see.
Before settling on the collaboration, Aetna Better Health of Illinois took a data-driven approach to determine gaps in how it serves various demographics. In particular, the insurer identified “an opportunity to build out more robust programming” with women’s health, she said.
Ms. Fernando said only about 8% of women in the menopausal age range seek treatment or more information on their symptoms, “which is just a very low percentage given that every woman eventually reaches that age.”
“Menopause and perimenopausal symptoms aren’t widely talked about,” she said. “It’s kind of like silent suffering, and no one talks about it.”
When it comes to return on investment, Ms. Fernando is hoping for a boost in member engagement and, thus, retention.
“It leads to, again, higher engagement in all required activities, whether that be contractual with the state or quality improvement initiatives,” she said, adding that she is interested to see how beneficiary usage of the healthcare system will change through this Elektra partnership.
This can be a particular challenge with the Medicaid population, which may be more transient, she said. Ms. Fernando’s team has been monitoring marketing data, such as click-throughs with ads, to better understand digital engagement.
“We typically like to see above a 30% engagement rate in a Medicaid population,” she said. “If we exceed that, then it’s a home run.”
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