Improving Engagement: Meet Members Where They Live

Medicaid plays such a crucial role in providing healthcare coverage for low-income individuals and families in the US. With millions relying on Medicaid, it is essential to ensure that members are actively engaged in their healthcare journey. However, engaging members can be challenging due to various factors such as inaccurate or stale contact information, member distrust towards phone outreach due to the prevalence of scams, and barriers like stable internet access. To overcome these hurdles and foster meaningful engagement, a vital strategy emerges: meeting members where they live. By understanding and addressing the unique needs and circumstances of their members, Medicaid plans can pave the way for improved member engagement and better health outcomes.

Medicaid members often face complex challenges that can hinder their engagement in healthcare. These challenges include limited financial resources, housing or food insecurity, transportation barriers, language barriers, health literacy levels, and fewer in-network healthcare providers. Addressing these challenges requires a proactive approach that goes beyond traditional methods of member engagement.

To truly engage members, health plans must physically meet them where they live. While digital engagement can be effective for certain touchpoints, members often benefit more from face-to-face interactions, which offer unique opportunities for more tailored and personalized care and better visibility into a member’s holistic set of needs.

At Ounce of Care, we provide onsite support and wraparound services for affordable housing residents. Our Community Health Leads work with residents to address unmet needs and close care gaps, including:

🔗 Linking to primary care, pediatric care, and preventative services

📊 Tracking personal health goals and health-related social needs

🔀 Navigating important deadlines so residents can maintain benefits and coverage

🍎 Nutrition programming and access to healthy food

🤝 Referrals to dental, behavioral, specialty providers & chronic care management

💪 Support with fitness and staying active

🏡 Focus on housing stability

Improving Medicaid member engagement requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account the unique context of each neighborhood and community. By meeting members where they live—literally—health plans can overcome barriers to engagement and foster meaningful connections. By tailoring outreach efforts, providing personalized communication, offering on-site care coordination services, and promoting health education, healthcare organizations can empower members to be active participants in their care and promote better health outcomes. Ultimately, fostering connections with members where they live is the key to creating a healthcare system that is truly inclusive, accessible, and effective for all.