It’s a third-party administrator's job to help clients stand out from competitors. Doing so is crucial for growing membership and retaining members while keeping costs low. TPAs can have many types of clients, but one of the most common is self-insured employers. Your SIE clients look to you to help them create competitive health benefits while staying within their budget. If this sounds like a hard goal to reach, don’t worry. In this blog, we’re going to provide tips for you to use as a TPA that will reach your clients’ goals of improving their benefits offerings without spending a fortune.‍

Digital self-service tools.

We live in a digital age, which means people of all ages and backgrounds want access to digital tools. In fact, one study reported that 100% of people surveyed reported access to digital self-service features as important. These tools often simplify complicated processes and experiences, like healthcare. They also take away the stress that often comes with navigating a complex system. One way you can bring digital self-service tools to your clients’ benefits is through our shop-and-compare app for healthcare services. You could also offer digital tools that help your clients’ members to take care of their day-to-day health. 57% of those surveyed reported digital self-care options are important to have, so consider products such as MyFitnessPal, Talkspace, or SleepScore for your clients. These are all cost-effective solutions that meet members’ desire for easy ways to manage their healthcare.

Direct primary care.

Direct primary care is an alternative payment model meant to create a higher standard of care. It is designed as a subscription-based model to better connect patients and physicians at lower price points. For example, a patient can pay a flat fee of $60-100 per month to see their physician as often as they want and for whatever they want. Think of it like Netflix for healthcare. It’s a cost-effective approach to give patients more personalized healthcare that’s easier to access. This in turn motivates patients to stay on top of their health, which helps avoid major health issues down the road. And that means lower overall healthcare costs for your clients. 

Third-party bill negotiation services.

Medical bills can quickly become complicated and stressful. While it’s possible for patients to negotiate bills themselves, it can be a long and confusing process. Your clients don’t want to deal with huge medical bills, and neither do their members. The obvious solution is to contract with a third-party bill negotiation service. This of course has a cost associated with it upfront, but it can end up saving your clients and their members thousands of dollars. For example, our bill negotiation team reduces medical bills by 44% on average. Bill negotiation is also a unique service that not many companies offer as a benefit, so it’s sure to make your clients stand out from competitors.

Final thoughts.

Overall, as a TPA it’s important to make sure you are successfully serving your clients. To do this you have to help them attract and retain their members in ways that are valuable and unique. There are many solutions and tools out there, but not all of them are cost-effective. Utilizing digital self-service tools, direct primary care, and third-party bill negotiation services are three of the top ways to differentiate your clients from competitors while staying within a budget.