Dive Brief:
- Over the past year, several large health insurers have hired execs outside the industry in an effort to improve customer experience.
- For example, Aetna hired former Wal-Mart executive solutions senior vice president Dijuana Lewis as an EVP to lead a new consumer products and enterprise marketing organization focused on personalizing the health care experience.
- Humana recruited Christopher Kay, a former senior leader from Target, which offers walk-in clinics in Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and Virginia.
Dive Insight:
The idea of offering a more retail-like experience to health insurance consumers has been gaining traction for a few years, Paul D'Alessandro, customer experience practice leader at PwC, told Healthcare Finance News. After all, the average American consumer spends 50 minutes a year with their primary care provider but 15 minutes a day at a digital or physical retail shop, according to PwC research. Add that to the fact that health plans are trying to manage complexity and choices in accessible way, and it makes sense that health plans are shopping for retail execs.