What business problems did your organization / project face, and why did you choose a digital adoption strategy to help you solve it?
Utilization Management (UM) is a key component of healthcare. Evaluating appropriate and efficient use of healthcare services, UM helps achieve positive patient outcomes while controlling costs. Clinical staff use multiple applications and a vast number of resources in daily operations to complete reviews/authorizations.
The first business problem Aetna solved with WalkMe was to quickly find and complete documentation templates with case data. Staff review/document thousands of cases daily. Documentation must be clear, precise and compliant. Due to the multiple functions within Clinical Services, various case scenarios and hundreds of templates can potentially be applicable at any point in the life of the case. Staff require moment of need access to the tools that help them progress cases without having to context shift to find and copy/paste information.
Once located, help to expedite template completion saves time, affording staff the ability to work at the height of their clinical licensure and focus on member needs and communications versus wrangling with tech/systems. WalkMe-enabled templates help ensure template text is standard and current versus staff using local copies, which could lead to non-standard versions. Using WalkMe data values enables managed automation to populate template text for staff when possible.
The improved workflow was to provide a Launcher that evaluates case/screen conditions then, based on the user role/function, enables the appropriate template, fills in all possible information and enables template add-on inclusion when needed.
In exploring this solution, we realized that the WalkMe application types made the ability to deliver well on these two simple use cases just the tip of the value iceberg.
How did you use WalkMe, in conjunction with other strategies and technologies, to address your challenges?
WalkMe driven templates generate and auto-fill information from the case into documentation templates, eliminating the need to leave the platform to locate/copy/paste templates. Building a cross-function governance structure and supporting teams at each level, enabled prioritizing templates as well as other solutions that quickly came into demand. This led to building an intake mechanism and a review cadence for each level of the governance structure. Soon, ideas flowed in across all functions and lines of business within our parent organization and we found ourselves with a backlog of ideas needing value estimation, delivery prioritization, requirements development and so on.
To access the staff information needed to validate user fit for case handling for one of our 2024 initiatives, technical integration with the platform storing the staff attribute data was required. Making that connection required partnering with internal core IT partners and WalkMe technical staff to build the support while maintaining IT security standards.
As our solutions have brought success in various categories (efficiency, compliance, audit, training) we have developed strategic partnerships that enable us to provide insight on how WalkMe can help with challenges sooner and in ways that might be overlooked with traditional technical support or approaches. We’ve proven that WalkMe can be used to solve technical/platform problems in operational and cost-effective ways.
How does your digital adoption strategy, especially with regard to WalkMe, impact or benefit your end-users (customers and/or employees), your team, and leadership?
Our WalkMe implementation has success with 6300+ staff. We also routinely provide demos, our background story and business cases to others in CVS. Seven distinct CVS WalkMe implementations have roots tying back directly to our team as we help convince teams that WalkMe will help with their DAP challenges.
Last year our WalkMe solutions had 2.4M+ interactions, resulting in over 1.5M minutes saved and supported staff in providing outstanding customer service.
We use WalkMe Insights to confirm solutions impact staff and case work positively. The data also helps confirm ROI, where efficiency is involved and is traceable into audit, compliance, and performance management reporting as well.
Staff appreciate the solutions and improved performance metrics. Leaders appreciate the metrics and bolstered confidence as business impact proves out across multiple data sources. Most of all, the benefit is to our members as cases are handled efficiently and properly with staff being afforded the opportunity to engage more with less stress, because our WalkMe solutions make it easier to navigate technology.
How has your digital adoption strategy, especially with regard to WalkMe, helped your organization better achieve its mission, goals, or values?
Using WalkMe enabled significant financial success with a 9x ROI result in Year 1 and the team meeting a combined $5M goal in 2021 and 2022, then exceeding our 2023 savings target of $500K at $1.3M. The value enabled by WalkMe-driven solutions continues to evolve as efficiency-creating solutions enable investment to identify and deliver additional cost-effective solutions. WalkMe-driven projects already in flight for 2024 include: assistance with avoiding $20M in revenue loss annually and a solution that will proactively address a significant compliance measure while also avoiding rework at an estimated cost of $3M.
Looking ahead, the team aims to expand our reach by delivering solutions for additional functional areas and roles, increasing our user base by over 2,500 as priorities allow. We are exploring new partnerships to enable WalkMe in new focus areas, including Learning and Performance and Service Operations. We are optimistic about WalkMe technology becoming a “go-to” asset across Aetna Clinical Services and helping achieve strategic priorities while assisting with system/platform change management.
What about your implementation or success makes you most proud? Why?
I am most proud of the fact that each member of our DAP team believes in the vision of how we add value with WalkMe solutions and the confidence that is building behind that belief, due to continued success and proven value. This confidence is infectious to those we support and we are being called upon by senior leaders when challenges arise to see if WalkMe can help.
In 2022, our template solution had 497K interactions resulting in 490K minutes saved for our users. The templates are often used while staff are interacting with members on the phone. By not having to locate the templates, staff can focus more on our members. In 2023, with additional WalkMe templates enabled and additional staff using WalkMe, the number of interactions grew to 957K and saved 564K minutes, over one third of the minutes saved by our combined WalkMe solution inventory. This usage expansion exemplifies the steady growth and impact of our team.
What started as one developer/business consultant with a rudimentary understanding of WalkMe development and requirements gathered by another person with a solid understanding of involved platforms and access to process SMEs has grown to a cross functional team supporting everything from pain point intake, business case development, QA/UAT support, to post-production technical and Executive reporting support.
The team includes a two-time WalkMe MVP and a 2022 DAP Professional 100 honoree. Our team regularly consults with the several CVS WalkMe implementations and is routinely asked to demo our solutions and share our journey and value story as other areas catch the vision.
Please share any additional information about your role in the project, your results, and/or your vision for the future that supports your submission.
From a humble start pitching WalkMe to address challenges in 2020, with no WalkMe history, it is a thrill to see our DAP program as the successful operation and amazing team that I lead today. Our history and 2024 efforts, which include a 5X increase in available templates and ROI, along with new solutions creating ROI of $23M+; either directly enabled or supported by WalkMe, reflects an impressive body of work.
My vision in promoting DAP in 2024 includes growing influence to see WalkMe add value across CVS. My team has direct influence in shared services applications beginning to deploy and explore WalkMe benefits. Influencing these conversations and seeing my team share our solutions is exciting. We believe in what we are doing and know we are delivering world-class solutions. We are pleased to help audiences consider the art of the possible with WalkMe.
About your organization
About CVS Health
CVS Health® is the leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and over 300,000 dedicated colleagues — including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health — whether that’s managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications, or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system — and their personal health care — by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day. Follow @CVSHealth on social media.
About Aetna
Aetna, a CVS Health business, serves an estimated 36 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental and behavioral health plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services, workers’ compensation administrative services and health information technology products and services. Aetna’s customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, visit Aetna.com (e.g., clinical diagnoses, eligibility criteria, participation in a disease state management program).