February 7, 2025
WebMD Ignite Launches New Solution to Improve Health Plan Care Management Programs

WebMD Ignite, a division of WebMD, unveiled a new solution on Thursday to help health plans administer care management programs.

Newark, New Jersey-based WebMD provides health information services to consumers and healthcare professionals. WebMD Ignite partners with healthcare companies to help them engage and educate consumers.

Health plans offer care management programs to support members with complex or chronic conditions. These programs include care planning, preventive health education and care coordination. WebMD Ignite’s new solution — called Coach — integrates into health plan care managers’ workflows and is available to members through a centralized app.

Coach has several features, including a library of educational resources that touch on topics like chronic disease management and wellness tips. These resources can be organized into specific collections for certain diseases or populations. Coach can also encourage behavior change by providing features like goal setting, progress tracking and feedback.

In addition, the health plans receive reporting on member engagement and health trends. This can help them understand where to make improvements in their care management programs. Through Coach, care management teams can also offer content and resources on member campaigns like flu vaccines.

“With Coach from WebMD Ignite, health plan coaches can now prepare better for calls, send digital content instantly, and deliver follow-up health education,” said Ann Bilyew, EVP of health and president of Healthcare Solutions Group at WebMD Ignite, in an email. “They can even see whether a member has received and read the content. This helps them identify high-risk members who need additional interventions versus more engaged patients who are using the education to manage their health.”

Health plans that use Coach pay a fee based on member volume on an annual basis, Bilyew added.

The launch of Coach comes as many health plans struggle to engage members in their care management programs due to a lack of health literacy and tailored support. According to one study, engagement is just at 13% among eligible members.

“Care managers have one of the hardest jobs in healthcare,” Bilyew declared. “They’re tasked with reaching out to members who may not want to be bothered, improving health outcomes, and persuading people to take action without meeting them face-to-face. On top of this, care managers must know how to coach on a wide variety of conditions and diseases, as well as understand the best way to help members overcome personal obstacles that are unique to them.”

WebMD’s goal with Coach is to “help health plans improve health outcomes, increase satisfaction, and ultimately lower healthcare costs through efficient, targeted health management strategies,” Bilyew added.

WebMD Ignite also recently launched HealthHub Interactive, which includes a suite of solutions to support health plan clinical programs. In addition, in February, WebMD acquired Healthwise, a company for health education, technology and services.

Other companies providing care management services include Quantum Health and Accolade.

Photo: Feodora Chiosea, Getty Images

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