Mark Boxer

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, we continue to tackle the toughest challenges, and in the process, focus on the most pressing issues impacting our customers, clients, patients, and other stakeholders today. For me, this means using technology, data, and analytics to make healthcare more personal and affordable, expand choice, and improve whole person health and well-being-ultimately giving those we serve peace of mind.

But to use a common phrase, we need to be skating to where the puck is going. Leaders are required to anticipate and address the challenges and opportunities that we’ll confront tomorrow. Taking this long view, and having this insight, prepares an organization to influence the environment, rather than react to it. It enables you to be there for your customers today and in the future as the marketplace changes.

To best put the future into focus, I recommend a clear lens aimed on three areas: continuous learning, servant leadership, and an outside-in, customer-first view.

Education and continuous learning level the playing field. With the move to more value-based care, the need for evidence-based medicine-as well as the explosive growth of digital engagement-healthcare has never been more complex.

That’s why it’s more important than ever to stay current. The best leaders in our industry benefit from not only relentlessly pursuing knowledge within the health care sector, but also more broadly across other industries. This holistic view of the world helps us understand and plan around potential market influencers and disruptors.

Five Ways Digitization Will Impact Healthcare in 2019

For example, in healthcare, we’re witnessing the digital disruption and drive to retail-centricity that many other industries such as media, retail, and consumer finance have already seen. By studying the broader dynamics of other sectors, the disruptors, the market winners and losers, and the forces that influence change, you can navigate and come out on top. Forward-looking leaders remain curious throughout their careers and find opportunities to keep learning; it’s the only way to stay relevant. This means both formal and informal learning. And reading everything you can makes for a better leader and more informed influencer.

2. Servant leadership: The role of empathy

An organization is only as good as its people. Take care of your people and you in turn take care of your customers. I would suggest then modeling the behaviors you want your teams to embrace; most importantly, show caring values in words and actions.

At Cigna, we are laser focused on attracting, developing, and retaining top talent; it is the essential element for future growth. A new generation of talent is entering the workforce: Generation Z. This generation is predicted to change the norms of the workplace by putting culture and experience first in what they’re looking for from their employers. Leaders may need to break out of their comfort zones when it comes to managing Gen Z talent.

Many times, employees are not only looking for performance feedback, but a “life coach” as well. And in the workplace, these employees are looking for leaders who help them succeed by empowering them and removing barriers. This type of empathic servant leadership will be a valuable and effective skill not only with this newly minted cohort of employees, but for the entire workforce. The ability to understand, relate to, and be sensitive to employees’ changing needs will be critical for the long-term success of any company. That means creating an inclusive, flexible, and empathetic workplace for all.

3. An outside-in view: Challenge yourself to think customer first

Customer-centric thinking is critical and needs to be a well-developed skill. Consumer demands and preferences will continue to drive healthcare’s evolution; we know expectations are rising. The best industry leaders will anticipate evolving consumer needs and the growing demand for more virtual solutions.

For example, as one Forbes prediction notes, nearly half of the U.S. workforce could be participating in the gig economy by 2020. They will certainly have different expectations and healthcare demands than workers in traditional roles. Beyond the consumer role, we know that technology advances will also shape the experience. Things like 

, virtual reality, and intelligent automation are becoming increasingly ubiquitous and will shape next-generation customer experiences within healthcare.

These are simply examples: we will only be effective leaders if we listen to our customers and design solutions that work for them on their terms, meeting them where they are. The best customer-empowered leaders take the time to talk to customers, listen carefully, take their feedback unvarnished, and orient products and services accordingly.

Seven Tactics to Create a Lifetime Healthcare Consumer

Thousands of years ago, Aristotle said leadership is about ethics and action. This is as true today as it was back then. Being an effective leader is not complicated; for me, it always comes down to acting on the three basic concepts I outlined above-developing yourself, focusing on your talent, and being relentless about tuning into the customer. By focusing on these areas, emerging leaders can acquire the skills and mindset needed to manage today’s opportunities, anticipate future needs, and lead their organizations to success.

Mark Boxer, PhD, is executive vice president and global chief information officer for Cigna, where he is responsible for driving the company’s worldwide technology strategy.

Articles

There is no one way a leader may develop, but there are three qualities that effective leaders possess.

Three Emerging Leader Qualities That Guarantee Success

	As the amount of information in the world nearly doubles each year, detecting relevant signals through the noise is becoming even more difficult. However, successfully separating the signal from the noise, especially in healthcare, can be a tremendous value creator. 

	For decades, the industry has been chasing the goal of evidence-based medicine, where proven science and published literature guides therapies. The application of machine learning algorithms to diverse big data sets means we can deliver the evidence at the point of care. As we combine genomic data, published literature, and other clinical data to guide therapies, we can radically and dramatically transform the patient experience and clinical outcomes. 

The promise of data science goes way beyond better clinical outcomes; it creates a better customer experience. Our customers expect seamless and simple interactions with any enterprise they're working with, including their health plan.

	Customers want us to translate their interactions across all channels into a more personalized experience and help improve their clinical outcomes. At Cigna, we’re focused on turning massive amounts of raw data and often, unstructured data, into actionable information in real-time to help our customers get the solutions they need with the outcomes they deserve. 

	We’re turning data into information that delivers better, personalized outcomes for customers, providers, and clients. And by using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, we’re successfully leveraging big data to save lives through earlier interventions, with the right care in the right setting. It’s important to note that a significant part of the customer experience is based on trust. Safeguarding confidentiality and gaining consent on if, when and how information is being used is essential.  

	This is not a future vision; we are making this real today. 

	For example, we can identify when a customer is likely to have an emergency room visit; have an inpatient admission in the next six months for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or coronary artery disease; be diagnosed with depression (three months prior to anti-depressant prescription); or have a hip/knee replacement/repair within the next six months.

	Another example is how we’re leveraging machine learning coupled with analytics to proactively engage customers in our new, integrated customer decision support and service program, One Guide. We’ve already seen a reduction of total medical cost for a number of conditions in the first year for customers supported by the program.

	A final example is as relevant as today’s headlines: the nationwide opioid epidemic. As an organization, we’re thinking differently about how to address this pervasive and non-discriminating killer. In fact, we’re reducing opioid use among our customers by 25%, though there is still more to do. In addition to our collaboration with our network of doctors, technology is playing a critical role in helping our nation decrease opioid use. One way this is being applied is through our Opioid Likely Overdose Risk Model, which uses machine learning with integrated claims data and analytics to detect opioid use patterns that suggest possible misuse that may lead to overdose or even death.

	Looking ahead we see even more opportunities to use sophisticated AI and machine learning techniques--from predicting and preventing chronic diseases, to mining data to reduce payment and claims fraud, to using the data from wearables to optimize health. These advances will allow us to build even better models to answer more complex questions; the ones that will lead to better healthcare outcomes.

	We’re hearing the big data signals. Those signals show that the promise of evidence-based medicine is here today and helping us deliver on our mission; to improve the health, well-being, and sense of security for the people we serve.

Mark Boxer, PhD, is executive vice president and global chief information officer for CIGNA, where he is responsible for driving the company’s worldwide technology strategy.

Successfully separating the signal from the noise, especially in healthcare, can be a tremendous value creator. 

Cigna uses artificial intelligence to sift through big data 'noise'

	We are in a time of tremendous technology opportunity in healthcare innovation. Consider what we’re able to do in healthcare today. For example, it is possible to create patient-specific, biodegradable implants using 3D printing, use artificial intelligence tools to put the evidence base into the clinician’s hands at the point of care, and perform common diagnostic tests via a smartphone.

	But as groundbreaking as these capabilities are, the challenge is to apply innovation in a manner that creates improved access to higher quality care at a lower cost-what is termed the triple aim. The buzzwords hit us every day: cloud, analytics, sensors, big data, ubiquitous computing-the reality is that we can make these important concepts relevant only when we apply them in ways that advance the triple aim, and integrate them into a healthcare system that even today remains highly fragmented.

	At Cigna, technology is viewed as a strategic enabler that powers our business strategy-creating closer, more meaningful connections with our customers during the moments that matter. It is during those critical moments, when our customers most depend on us, that we use innovation to meet these customer needs, provide support and deliver the best possible clinical outcomes. At the same time, our customers are pulling from experiences outside the healthcare industry that shape their expectations of how they want to be engaged. They’ve come to expect personalized, easy to use, digital services from retailers and other companies-and they expect the same with healthcare.

	The innovation conversation is centered on first understanding customer needs and expectations-and then evaluating how technology enables the solution. We have deployed this approach at a local market level.

	For example, employees of one large Cigna client, based in the United Kingdom, were challenged with the queues for urgent care in the government-sponsored National Health System. To complement the existing healthcare system, we partnered with the client to develop a completely mobile virtual health team app, WinstonQED. This app brought together telemedicine, e-prescribing, instrumentation, and virtual health and wellness support in a manner that was unique in the marketplace.

	Another client, based in China, was focused on addressing the stress-related issues of their customer service representatives. Given the client’s interest in virtual and augmented reality, we brought to market a virtual relaxation solution through virtual gaming headsets. Other client companies around the world have now requested similar onsite solutions. The result: Cigna Virtual Health, a portfolio of virtual reality apps, is changing the way clients manage high-stress situations for their employee populations.

	Finally, one of our global clients was seeking a solution that would help guide its employees through critical healthcare decision points, such as selecting a plan, choosing a primary care physician or receiving preventive services. Through a new app called Cigna One Guide, customers can personalize their tool kit and receive timely information that helps them make more informed, engaged decisions. The degree of personalization is unparalleled, and truly represents a significant advancement in applying CRM concepts to help customers navigate the complexities of the healthcare experience.

	The learning for healthcare vertical is this: First understand your customers-their needs and their preferences-and then build the technology solution set, rather than chasing the new shiny object.  Our focus on localized and targeted innovation aligned to our strategic imperatives enables Cigna to make the mission real: improving health, well-being and sense of security.

At Cigna, technology is viewed as a strategic enabler that powers its business strategy-creating closer, more meaningful connections with customers.

Three technology innovations helping Cigna meet customers’ needs

The digital revolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most significant and positive disruptive innovations in recent times. By enabling physical objects to communicate through the Internet, share data, and apply intelligent analytics and algorithms to that data, the IoT is turning the world into an always-connected, always-on information ecosystem.

	We have already seen IoT’s significant advancements in home automation, automotive, energy and manufacturing and now our industry is primed to take advantage.

	While technology has always played an important role in healthcare, our version of the Internet of (Health) Things (IoHT) has the potential to redefine and transform how we improve the health experience, increase quality and optimize costs for all--from the healthy to those with the most complex chronic conditions.

	Access to healthcare has historically been tethered to available resources and expertise in a given location. IoHT, however, enables expertise to be scaled on a global basis, including telehealth and telesurgery. Both technologies may overcome barriers to access; while further advancements can leverage artificial intelligence and insights gained from loHT to assist clinicians with real-time surgical decisions using instantaneous evidence-based guidance.

	This will improve access and contribute to better quality. Real-time monitoring and dynamic reporting of key clinical indicators will improve efficiency and effectiveness to create better patient experiences.

	The ability to better diagnose diseases, develop personalized treatment plans and monitor the effectiveness of those regimens is being enhanced with the combined forces of connected sensor data and advanced analytics.

	And let’s not forget the pervasive fitness devices: IoHT provides the platform to track, analyze, and share data with clinicians.

	Care quality is enhanced by the ability to create a longitudinal view of an individual’s health while also bridging the data gap that occurs between office visits, allowing clinicians to better develop and modify treatment regimens.

	IoHT will empower the new healthcare consumers to make informed decisions based on tracking and rewarding their activity levels, and, those with chronic conditions can receive real-time feedback on how their lifestyle decisions impact their health. The continuous flow of data shared between individuals and their clinicians will create mechanisms to optimize the use of healthcare resources and spend.

	As IoHT continues to evolve, we can expect the emergence of new applications, tools and systems that will create opportunities for existing stakeholders to redefine their role, while facilitating the introduction of new players. Ultimately, the industry will benefit from the collaboration and insight gained from this new platform.

	For our part, Cigna is leveraging IoHT to build upon our global platform, including partnerships and investments for innovative mobile apps, application curation platforms, and integrated instrumentation experiences as we continually enhance and refine our digital health ecosystem in order to:

		Drive mobile technology to meet customers where they are with fun and engaging new approaches such as gamification;

		Bring the exam room to the patient through device instrumentation;

		Provide a personalized, integrated clinical experience by leveraging big data.

	As IoHT continues to evolve, Cigna will find new ways to integrate health and wellness into the daily lives and habits of our customers that result in increased engagement and better health outcomes by using innovation to help people improve their health, well-being and sense of security.

Mark Boxer is executive vice president & global chief information officer for Cigna Corp., and MHE editorial advisory board member.

The digital revolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) has advanced the fields of home automation, automotive, energy and manufacturing, and healthcare is next.

Author | Mark Boxer

Articles

Three Emerging Leader Qualities That Guarantee Success

Cigna uses artificial intelligence to sift through big data 'noise'

Three technology innovations helping Cigna meet customers’ needs

The Internet of (Health) Things