Boost Payer Patient Education

As a pediatrician with 15 years of experience in the pediatric emergency department, Cathy Moffitt, MD, understands the critical role of patient education. Now, as Senior Vice President and Aetna Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health, she applies that knowledge to the payer space.

“Education is empowerment. It’s engagement. It’s crucial for equipping patients to navigate their healthcare journey. Now, overseeing a large payer like Aetna, I still firmly believe in the power of health education,” Moffitt shared on an episode of Healthcare Strategies.

At a payer organization like Aetna, patient education begins with data analytics to better understand the member population. According to Moffitt, key insights from data can help payers determine the optimal time to share educational materials with members.

“People are most receptive to education when they need help in the moment,” she explained. If educational opportunities are presented when members aren’t focused on their health needs, the information is less likely to resonate.

Aetna’s Next Best Action initiative, launched in 2018, embodies this timing-driven approach. In this program, Aetna employees proactively reach out to members with specific conditions to provide personalized guidance on managing their health. This often includes educational resources delivered at the right moment when members are most open to learning.

Data also enables payers to tailor educational efforts to a member’s demographics, including race, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, and location. By factoring in these elements, payers can ensure their communications are relevant and easy to understand.

To enhance this personalized approach, Aetna offers translation services and provides customer service training focused on sensitivity to sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition, updating the provider directory to reflect a diverse network helps members feel more comfortable with their care providers, making them more likely to engage with educational resources.

“Understanding our members’ backgrounds and needs, whether it’s acute or chronic illness, allows us to engage them more effectively,” Moffitt said. “This is the foundation of our approach to leveraging data for meaningful patient education.”

With over two decades in both provider and payer roles, Moffitt has observed key trends in patient education, particularly its success in mental health and preventive care. She highlighted the role of technology in these areas.

Efforts to educate patients about mental health have reduced stigma and increased awareness of mental wellness. Telemedicine has significantly improved access to mental healthcare, according to Moffitt.

In preventive care, more people are aware of the importance of cancer screenings, vaccines, wellness visits, and other preventive measures. Moffitt pointed to the rising use of home health visits and retail clinics as contributing factors for Aetna members.

Looking ahead, Moffitt sees personalized engagement as the future of patient education. Members increasingly want information tailored to their preferences, delivered through their preferred channels—whether by email, text, phone, or other methods.

Omnichannel solutions will be essential to meeting this demand, and while healthcare has already made progress, Moffitt expects even more innovation in the years to come.

“I can’t predict exactly where we’ll be in 10 years, just as I couldn’t have predicted where we are now a decade ago,” Moffitt said. “But we will continue to evolve and meet the needs of our members with the technological advancements we’re committed to.”

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