Human8 is a consultative agency that drives customer centricity for some of the world’s largest brands. And through research across historical shifts, cross-industry comparisons, and behavioral trends data, their team of leading healthcare experts has made several predictions on where the healthcare industry is going by 2030 and beyond. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Meaghan Hafner, Vice President of Health Care Insights & Strategy at Human8, to learn more about the company.
Meaghan Hafner’s Background
Hafner spent the last 20 years working in and developing my expertise as a healthcare strategist and skilled researcher. Hafner said:
“I’ve always had an interest in healthcare and enjoyed working in an industry that’s so important yet, also has a great deal of complexity. I received my Master’s in public policy, with a concentration in health care policy, from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan,” said Hafner.
“Along the way, I have found a passion for studying the broader landscape of needs and challenges across the globe – and bringing that applied insights to organizations to help them make more human-centered decisions and driving growth. In my current role as Vice President of Healthcare Insight & Strategy at Human8, I consult with senior-level Fortune 500 clients across the industry to help them better understand their consumers and patients in developing their strategies.”
“My role is to leverage our qualitative and quantitative research, along with our Strategy & Implementation prowess, to consult and educate our clients, who are leaders in the healthcare industry, about who their customers are, what they want, how to reach them best and how to orient company ethos and practices positioning customers as the brand’s north star.”
What Human8 Does
Can you tell me about Human8? What does the company do? Hafner explained:
“Human8, the human-driven consultancy, connects brands with people and culture to drive positive change. Human8 uncovers what matters to people and how brands can act upon it. Human8 is the coming-together of 10 game-changing agencies worldwide: InSites Consulting, Direction First, Columinate, eÿeka, Join the Dots, ABN Impact, Answer, Space Doctors, Gongos, and Happy Thinking People.”
“Human8 unites a creative, smart, and ambitious group of 800+ people across 24 locations under one vision: making brands more human by better understanding people and culture, empowering brands to take action, and enhancing the lives of the people they serve.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Hafner reflected:
“Seeing the growth of our healthcare practice over the last decade. We’ve always done some healthcare work. But when I joined the company, we made a concerted effort to learn and grow in this area. It’s been so exciting to see that happen over the years, to see my teammates embrace the industry and get excited about how what’s happening in the larger ecosystem relates to consumers, their needs, and their desires. We sit in a unique position within the industry in which we have the ability to truly bring the consumer voice to an industry that desperately needs it. When our clients embrace that and embed it in their strategy, there’s no better feeling.”
Customer Success Stories
After asking Hafner about customer success stories, she cited:
“The work I take the most pride in is always when we help our clients understand and interact with their consumers in new and innovative ways. For example, we worked with a client who wanted to learn how to connect to an underserved population in authentic ways. In partnership with them, we could do deep exploratory research.”
“We talked with experts, did online bulletin boards, and went into these consumers’ homes to learn about what was important to them, their families, how they approach healthcare, and how they think about health, wellness, insurance, hospitals, and their care providers. From this, we were able to bring this group of consumers to life for our client — setting an immersive experience in which they could ‘walk in the shoes’ of these consumers, taking them through the experience of engaging in the health care system when English may not be their first language, or you can’t find a provider who looks or sounds like you. This work was a key piece of building out the larger experience strategy, informing communications, and helping improve services.”
Healthcare Trends
In your research/expertise, what are some of the trends you are seeing in regard to where the healthcare industry is going in the future? Hafner noted:
“Through our research across historical shifts, cross-industry comparisons, and behavioral trends data, our team of leading healthcare experts has made several predictions on where the healthcare industry is going by 2030 and beyond:
Access shifts. Individual access to health care, medicine, and health information worldwide will be much easier to obtain.
Prevention. With an increased focus on longevity and general health and wellbeing, the focus will shift to lean even more predominantly towards prevention, and it will become easier for individuals to get the flexibility they need to stay on top of their health.
Mental Wellness. Facing many societal dynamics, including protests, the increasing political divide, COVID isolation, and Global war, society has moved beyond the point of keeping mental health in the shadows rather than recognizing it as a critical component to overall health.
Personalization. While personalization is not a new concept, it will reach new heights that extend well beyond customer portals and personalized emails.
ESG Focus. Beyond simply governmental regulations, people are looking for greater social commitment from brands (including health care brands) to give back and do a better job when it comes to protecting the environment and ensuring all individuals receive the quality care they deserve.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics to discuss? Hafner concluded:
“It’s an exciting time in healthcare. There’s been more change in the past decade than in the previous several decades combined, and that’s a trend we anticipate will continue. A consumer’s expectations of the healthcare industry are continuously being influenced by what they’re experiencing in daily interactions with other industries (banking, transportation, communication, retail, etc). Part of reaching this expectation is by being consumer-first. Generally speaking, the industry has a way to go before it meets this expectation. The good news is, we are seeing that the desire to move the needle is there among the clients we work with!”
“There also seems to be a growing recognition of the need to create real change for patients when it comes to some of the larger issues most impacting us – for example, mental and behavioral health, diabetes, weight management, etc.”
“We have to truly understand people and focus not only on their conditions but who they are as individuals – understand their needs, what success looks and feels like – what it provides for them in their lives, and why it matters to them. By getting to the root of deep understanding, organizations will be able to propel solutions forward; no longer solving for a condition, but rather solving for people dealing with a condition.”
