UCare

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Platforms

Overview

Powering a digital transformation for a top health insurance plan

UCare, a Minnesota-based health insurer is one of the largest (not for profit) Medicaid plans in the United States, is committed to improving the health of its members and the community. Known as a "people-powered health plan," UCare needed its digital experience to reflect this part of its mission—scaling, modernizing, and setting itself apart while simplifying health care processes for members.

Key highlights

Built a HIPAA-secure, high-performing technology ecosystem
for more protected member information
Improved member experiences
with easier ways to manage plans, make payments, and access documents
Reduced operational and technical costs
through implementing a modern DXP
Gained team alignment and executive buy-in
by mapping UCare's entire member journey

The situation

Identifying UCare's top priorities and challenges

UCare wanted to accelerate its digital transformation journey and sought a partner to lead internal collaboration, define a roadmap, and articulate a vision for the future.

With an array of data and systems inhibiting UCare from realizing true digital maturity, Horizontal Digital needed to take a different approach—one that would save time and costs while improving member experiences.

To realize this transformation, we determined that UCare's top goals were to:

Collect, maintain, and apply accurate member preferences
Digitize, secure, and automate communication processes
Create a single source of truth for plan and member information
Continue using an agile delivery model that emphasizes data-driven decision making
Build enterprise CRM alignment and adoption
Increase member retention through seamless experiences

The solution

Crafting a connected experience vision and roadmap

A successful digital transformation starts with alignment. Horizontal Digital partnered closely with UCare to ensure all teams were working toward the same strategy and goals. Breaking down silos was crucial to delivering a more cohesive member experience, so we developed a Digital Experience Transformation roadmap.

By bringing together stakeholders from marketing, customer service, IT, and other departments, we identified key friction points in member experiences and the technology gaps hindering efficiency. Additionally, direct interviews with members provided critical insights into their insurance experiences.

From this discovery process, we mapped UCare's entire member journey across marketing, enrollment, and renewal touchpoints. Our team then outlined the people, processes, and tools required to implement the transformation—prioritizing initiatives based on impact and cost-efficiency. This tangible plan provided the clarity needed to secure executive buy-in and drive meaningful change.

Horizontal’s connected experience workshop gave us the clarity and direction we needed. It wasn’t just another strategy session. They partnered with us to uncover what would actually move the needle in a step-by-step technology and design plan.

Associate Director of Digital Transformation | Brian Kopp

Modernizing UCare's technology with secure platforms

A core component of UCare’s transformation was moving to a HIPAA-compliant, scalable digital platform. By integrating UCare’s member data and site content onto Sitecore XM Cloud, we created a flexible, headless, and composable architecture that serves as the foundation for future digital growth.

XM Cloud’s cloud-based infrastructure provides:

Reduced infrastructure management costs by only paying for necessary capabilities
Greater operational agility and speed to market
Advanced personalization for member journeys, ensuring relevant interactions

Centralizing member and plan information for instant access

Enhancing UCare’s Online Member Account (OMA) experience was a top priority. By integrating 24 APIs and using XM Cloud, we are ensuring members can instantly manage their healthcare plans, make payments, and see key documents. This modernization not only streamlines member interactions for satisfactory experiences, but also reduces operational costs and contact center calls.

Additionally, integrating Sitecore Content Hub allowed UCare to enhance its content management efficiency and get plan information to members faster. With this digital asset management tool, UCare teams can update content in a centralized location, reducing manual work and making information more accessible while maintaining compliance and security.

The results

Stronger digital experiences. Happier, healthier members.

Successful digital experience transformations hinge on choosing the right systems, data sources, and processes to support seamless member experiences and faster ways of working. By aligning people, processes, and technology, UCare successfully modernized its digital ecosystem—setting the stage for continued innovation and improved member experiences.

261%Increase in website visitssince the first month of launch
50k+Documents swiftly migrated and organized in Content Hub
6xMembers are engaging 6x longer on the website than industry average
90xIncrease in launch speed capabilityand now releasing updates on-demand whenever the business needs them

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Harmonizing digital customer journeys for a legendary audio brand