Symptom checkers from health insurers are increasingly common, but out of 20 firms assessed by Corporate Insight, most are very hard to find
Health insurers’ online symptom checkers can effectively provide a potential diagnosis for users and direct them to the appropriate care setting
While many individuals rely on Google to perform self-diagnosis, the results may often yield confusing and potentially unproven information. By contrast, health insurers’ online symptom checkers can effectively provide a potential diagnosis for users and direct them to the appropriate care setting. Primarily, these tools should triage where symptoms seem non-urgent and, in the case of more urgent issues, help users figure out what kind of specialists to see.
This Health Plan Monitor Report examines symptom checkers offered by coverage group firms on their member sites. In 2020, we saw an influx of health insurers’ introducing COVID-19 symptom checkers to their public and member sites; however, firms have invested far less on general medical symptom checkers. Only 12 of the 20 Health Plan Monitor firms offer members access to a symptom checker. Of those, only two firms promote the tool and offer links to it directly from the member site. All other insurers seem to hide the tool deep within a third-party digital wellness site.
Firms in this report across the board fail to position their member site symptom checkers as tools that go beyond the types of offerings users can find through a basic web search. While individuals may not be going to insurance sites to diagnose their symptoms, firms have an opportunity to redefine their symptom checkers as more actionable resources. These tools represent a prime digital touchpoint to promote insurance benefits, online offerings and care delivery services, such as virtual visits and provider locators.
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