Good stuff I missed this week…

For the first time in forever I missed WCRI’s annual confab…a Board meeting conflicted darn it.

Thanks to Stuart Colburn for his comprehensive reporting from Phoenix...I hereby give up my as-it-happens blog-casting role to the estimable Mr Colburn Esq. (subscription required)

WorkCompCentral’s Yvonne Guibert and Rafael Gonzales dropped a most informative podcast today. Dr Les Kertay is the guest, and his discussion of mental health is one you need to listen to while out walking, cleaning the house, doing laundry, driving kids around or gardening.

Excellent piece in Harvard Business Review about the role of robots in customer service. Yeah, I mostly hate them too, but more and more insurance interactions involve robots.  While HBR focuses on more “retail”-focused robots, there’s much in the article worthy of your consideration.

One takeaway…”Robot technology should not simply be added as a novelty, but carefully integrated to deliver value to customers and support employees — maintaining a balance between automation and human interaction…”

Here’s another you have to read…it’s about customer service in government. No, that’s not an oxymoron. And btw, anyone in healthcare or insurance shouldn’t be throwing stones at the dam’ gubmint’s customer service…

This has major impact – most dramatically on the less fortunate among us. Stuff that we wealthier folks take for granted – internet access, smart phones, reliable wifi, reliable transportation literacy…is usually NOT commonplace among poorer folks. Oh, and the research very, very much applies to insurers and health plans…

From HBR:

• approximately 54% of adults between the ages of 16 and 74 years old are assessed as having literacy levels below a sixth grade level
• almost half of Americans report not having access to public transportation,
• A quarter of low-income adults report not owning a smartphone,

If you’re working on making communications more “efficient”, make VERY sure you always start and end with the “communications” piece – NOT “efficiency”.

Regular readers will recall  Medicaid is about to drop a LOT  – as in 5 to 14 million moms, babies, disabled folks, grandparents and families from its rolls, and many states are going to force those beneficiaries to use electronic communications to prove they qualify.

I’d like to think they are doing this out of ignorance, but my instinct – and research – indicates many state regulators and legislators are doing this purposefully – to deny health insurance to people who desperately need it.

More on this here.

What does this mean for you:

Meet people where they are. And be kind.