To Everything There Is a Season: Marketing Materials

There is a season for every activity within your organization: one for bids, one for applications, one for data validation.  We are soon to come upon marketing material season, when a flurry of activity usually gets underway in Marketing Communications and Compliance Departments nationwide.  Here are three reasons to ramp up:

1. Now more than ever, we have seen a growing trend towards high-quality service and retention.  How does this affect marketing materials?  In our estimation, submitting the bare minimum, core materials is no longer good enough if an organization wants to be leader of the pack.  Sponsors are getting creative with benefits, maintaining robust networks, doing their best to keep premiums low — and while those factors are key in member retention, so is service.  If an organization wants to work on maintaining relationships (through retention) rather than establishing only (through the sale), we expect to see additional, more personalized materials coming through Compliance Departments.  While each piece may not require CMS submission, all member- and beneficiary-facing materials must be reviewed by Compliance.
2. CMS clarified in their draft guidance that while designations of “approved” or “accepted” do not have an expiration date, the status remains valid so long as the material is still compliant with the most current version of the marketing material guidelines.  Therefore, if this was not occurring in the past, organizations should be reconciling their past approved and accepted materials to ensure they are still compliant.  We anticipate a flurry of questions to roll into Compliance Departments about whether or not an update needs to be submitted (because, remember, some changes do not require resubmission!)
3. The reach of the Duals Demonstration continues to stretch across the nation, and with that comes a significant amount of required coordination.  This also includes the review of materials.  Timing is everything, and unless one agency (CMS or the state) chooses to defer to the other for the review and approval of materials, an additional party is added to the process.  This should certainly light a fire under every business owner responsible for updating their materials.  The sooner the process begins, the better it will be for the review, printing, and distribution processes.

Compliance might feel the pinch this year of business owners asking for more assistance and guidance in the wake of sub-regulatory changes. Consider that beneficiaries, too, are asking health plans to be something more than a claims processor.  We find in all aspects of a successful organization, the bare minimum is not enough.  Therefore, instead waiting until someone starts asking for more, think about proactive ways you can deliver more before they even ask.

Resources

Let’s face it: the marketing staff is at a disadvantage with the shortened period between bid submission and the start of the annual enrollment period. We can develop or review your sales collateral and creative by product type to help ensure your high-impact messaging is both targeted and compliant. Visit our website to learn more >>

 
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