Senior Behavioral Scientist

In May 2020, BCBSMA formed an internal nudge unit, led by its Performance Measurement and Improvement (PMI) division, and assisted by consultants and selected academics.

Since its inception, the BCBSMA nudge unit has deployed over 100 behavioral insights-informed interventions, preferring randomized deployments to maximize evaluability.

These interventions have included efforts to improve guideline-concordant screening uptake, medication use, laboratory testing, and provider billing patterns.

Intervention channels include unidirectional communications (e.g., letters, emails, text messages, faxes) and more complex choice architecture (e.g., BCBSMA’s member app, which has more than 1 million users).. Reporting to the Director, Nudge Unit, Behavioral Insights & Strategic Research, the Senior Behavioral Scientist will support the company’s efforts to apply behavioral insights (i.e., “nudges” and other behavioral insights techniques) to improve the decisions, experiences, and health of BCBSMA’s members, network providers, and employees.

All nudge unit activities will further BCBSMA’s strategic pillars: quality, equity, affordability, and consumer experience.

The Senior Behavioral Scientist will, in collaboration with the Director as well as the SVP of Performance Measurement and Improvement, support the growth of BCBSMA’s nudge unit and application of behavioral insights.

Specific duties will include providing cross-divisional leadership in a matrixed organization, mentoring more junior nudge unit staff, tracking and managing multiple projects and their evaluations, facilitating trainings in behavioral insights techniques, and working with BCBSMA’s behavioral insights consultants and academic collaborators