Five smart strategies for elevating Medicare Advantage member satisfaction

Successful Medicare Advantage (MA) plans know just how critical MA member satisfaction is to their performance. When members are happy, they’re more likely to re-enroll year after year. Their satisfaction also contributes to higher Star ratings, helping to attract new enrollees. Satisfied members are also more likely to fully engage in their care, contributing to better overall health outcomes and, as a result, the achievement of value-based care goals.

Unfortunately, MA member satisfaction with health plans has declined in recent years. In 2023, it dropped by 13 points, and a significant part of that was due to concerns with customer service and inadequate communication. Additionally, the number of MA plans that earned 5-star ratings this year has declined by more than 80%.  

Plans are facing increased pressure to meet growing member expectations. When member satisfaction decreases, it puts MA plans at risk for member attrition, revenue leakage, lower quality ratings, and even penalties from CMS.  

As MA plans look to the future to figure out how to become and remain competitive in an increasingly value-based care market, a member management solution strategy that prioritizes member satisfaction and can scale with growth is essential. To help, every MA plan should prioritize starting with these key strategies to help boost member satisfaction in the long term.

For happier members, start with these smart strategies

Automate and personalize member communication to improve Medicare Advantage member engagement.

MA plans can directly boost member satisfaction when they prioritize improving member communications. When members have easy access to all the information they need to navigate healthcare services, pay their premiums, and re-enroll year after year, they develop a stronger affiliation to their plan. Additionally, regular, personalized communications help members stay engaged, which dramatically improves their satisfaction. It has the added bonus of keeping collections on track as well.  

Fortunately, advanced member management technology can support enhanced communications without putting a drain on limited staff time. Using automation and digital tools, MA plans can improve their member experience by seamlessly automating member communications, making it simpler for staff to increase touch points with members.  

By seamlessly connecting to existing systems, member messages can be generated from existing data for highly personalized communications with incredible accuracy. MA plan staff can easily generate invoices, statements, and delinquency notices. They can also personalize member information and automate messages to send at a particular frequency. Then, member correspondence is attached to the member’s record to make it simple for staff to review previous touchpoints.

Use a centralized solution to integrate member data in one place for better Medicare Advantage member experience and quality improvement.

To strengthen relationships with members and increase member satisfaction, MA plans need easy access to accurate data in one central location. Centralizing member data into a single, comprehensive, 360-degree view gives staff the tools they need to track things like application status and balance owed. A central data repository should also connect to programs like quality improvement and risk adjustment. That way, understanding a member’s risk, care utilization, predicted cost, and health outcomes becomes possible in one holistic view.

Again, advanced member management software can pull varying data sources into one centralized location and allow staff to easily sort, filter, and run reports on member data from premiums due to case management.  A real-time view of the member experience across all programs, and across any moment of the lifecycle, can help plans target members at risk of disenrolling, resolve care issues, navigate to new services, and more.

“Before Reveleer, we had zero automation-it was all manual work. Now everything is centralized in one place, and we don’t have to jump around or deal with file transfers or possible errors in data pulls.” - Enrollment Manager, Midwest Regional Health Plan

Accelerate and streamline enrollment to increase Medicare Advantage member engagement and satisfaction.

Making the enrollment process as fast and easy as possible is as beneficial for members as it is for staff. For example, automating critical tasks like enrollment, application management, and disenrollment makes these processes faster, improving the overall experience for members. In addition, health can plans more easily meet regulatory timelines while also increasing efficiency in managing membership maintenance. Finally, member management technology can also deliver real-time Medicare eligibility verification to reduce the manual workload on staff and connect members to care more quickly.  

Proactively engage members throughout their lifecycle.

Finally, one of the smartest ways to boost member satisfaction is to take a proactive approach to clinical engagement. Member satisfaction isn’t just determined at enrollment or during annual touchpoints; it’s shaped by every touch point members have with their health plan.  

Using member management software, MA plans can use data triggers to automate timely, personalized messages based on member actions, health milestones, and even care gaps. Plans can also design tailored outreach for new members, such as welcome campaigns that clearly outline benefits, how to access services, and who to contact with questions.

For existing members, personalized outreach during key moments such as upcoming preventive screenings, benefits renewals, or transitions in care keeps members feeling informed and valued. When members feel their plan anticipates their needs, satisfaction naturally grows.  

Evaluate your performance to elevate member satisfaction

Focusing on improving member communications, strengthening member data, and automating critical processes is fundamental to boosting member satisfaction without overextending limited staff resources. However, to drive meaningful, lasting improvements, MA plans must go a step further—they need the ability to measure their performance in real time and adapt quickly based on results.  

Robust reporting and analytics empower MA plans to track key metrics such as engagement rates, member retention, enrollment trends, payment status, care gaps, and satisfaction scores. With these insights, plans can identify which strategies are working, where breakdowns are occurring, and which member segments may need additional support.  

By strengthening reporting and analytics capabilities, MA plans can take a truly strategic, data-driven approach to member management, continuously improving satisfaction, operational efficiency, and, ultimately, plan performance.

With the right technology partner, elevating member satisfaction can be seamless and highly efficient. To learn more about how our powerful Member Management Solution, check out Reveleer’s webinar, “Why it's time to invest in member enrollment operations,” and get more smart strategies for MA plan success.