New features allow health plan care managers to have faster and more efficient outreach so that members can control their health and reduce downstream costs
Newark, New Jersey, April 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -WebMD Ignite, the leading full-service growth partner for healthcare industry organizations, today announced the enhancement of Coach®, Health Plan's industry-leading care management solution.
Coach is a comprehensive digital health engagement platform that strengthens health plans to drive ongoing member engagement and interaction. By leveraging a vast library of educational resources, behavioral change techniques, sophisticated campaign development tools and in-depth analysis, coaches help organizations deliver targeted health campaigns, support chronic disease management, and enhance member engagement at scale.
The new extension integrates proven SMS text messaging technology designed to reduce operational costs and improve health outcomes by providing care managers with highly effective, real-time communication tools on member prioritized channels. It also includes innovative population-wide campaign features that allow organizations to provide targeted, automated health education at scale, supporting population health initiatives through scheduled outreach and real-time engagement tracking.
“Today's members look forward to a seamless, mobile-first experience, and health plans need tools to meet those expectations while driving real results,” he said. Veronica ShortVice President of Product Management, Healthcare Solutions Group, WebMD Ignite. “The enhanced SMS capabilities of the coach allow care managers to connect with their members at key moments. This is extremely, effective and large-scale. This innovation helps modernize their outreach, improve engagement and ultimately support better health across the population they serve.”
By providing timely and relevant health education through priority channels, members can instantly access the information they need when they need it most. Coaches encourage healthy behaviors that promote higher medication adherence, improved outpatient visits, and increased participation in preventive care. It also helps reduce costly interventions by lowering hospitalizations, readmissions and emergency department visits.
With 99% of text messages open and 90% read within three minutes, text messaging represents an unparalleled opportunity to quickly and effectively connect with members, often outperforming traditional outreach methods such as telephone and printed mail. By integrating text messages directly into your coach, WebMD IGNITE will be able to meet your health plan care management team's engagement goals, improve treatment compliance, and reduce downstream billing costs.
The new coach features are simple, flexible and highly configurable to meet the unique needs and nuances of each health plan and its different member population.
Real-time reach: Push notifications ensure that your messages are viewed quickly and ensure that you keep health education and motivation in mind. Custom Branding: Text templates can be customized to reflect the brand and messaging of each health plan. Member Convenience: Deliver concise and actionable information directly to member mobile devices. Seamless workflow integration: Care managers can select, submit and track text-based education within coaches, including opt-in and opt-out management.
The population-wide campaign feature is particularly strong as health plans can engage members at scale and drive aggressive population health initiatives through targeted digital outreach. Both clinical and administrative health planning teams can use health education to specific groups and personalize specific members to schedule regular screening or geotarget members using tailored messaging based on specific health events occurring in the community. Teams can easily upload member lists, automate messaging, and even schedule educational content over time. All new features are supported by industry-leading analysis of coaches. This helps users track key engagement metrics such as delivery rate, open rate, and completion rate.
WebMD Ignite continues to lead the industry by transforming care management with innovative and scalable solutions that work in more than half of the top 20 health plans in the US and deliver measurable value. The coaches complement the company's complete services and solutions for health planning that support both the clinical and marketing teams of health planning.
About WebMD Ignite
WebMD Ignite, a division of WebMD and Internet brands, is the premier growth partner for healthcare organizations. As industry experts, we enhance decision-making insights across our entire health journey by integrating our unique technologies, unparalleled reach, strategic targeting, business intelligence and vast educational resources. Our solutions are built to solve the challenges of the healthcare industry, and we present actions that drive acquisition, build loyalty and optimize health outcomes and operational efficiency.
About WebMD Health Corp.
WebMD, an internet branded company, is at the heart of the digital health revolution transforming the healthcare experiences of consumers, patients, health professionals, employers, health plans and health systems. Through public and private online portals, mobile platforms, and health-centric publications, WebMD offers cutting-edge content and digital services that enable decision-making, support and motivate health behaviors, streamline and simplify health care journeys, and improve patient care.
WebMD Health Networks include WebMD Health, Medscape, WebMD IGNITE (including Krames, The Wellness Network, and Mercury Healthcare), Jobson Healthcare information, Mediquality, Frontline, Vitals Consumer Services, Aptus Health, PulsePoint, Medicinenet, EmedicineHealth, Rxlist, Medscape Education, and other Webmds. WebMD®, MedScape®, CMECircle®, Medpulse®, Emedicine®, Medicinenet®, TheHeart.org®, and RXList® are one of the trademarks of WebMD Health Corp. or its subsidiaries.
Source WebMD Ignite
