Issue 044
Welcome back to E&O Wednesdays, the enrollment-focused digital health newsletter from Exits & Outcomes — for paying subscribers only. This every-other-Wednesday issue digs into digital health companies that sell to self-insured employers as well as others that rely on enrollment-based distribution for their digital health programs.
E&O Wednesdays: Employers
A few quick employer-focused digital health notes before digging into this week’s two benefits stacks:
- Amazon announced a few new mental health benefits for its employees. One of the additions is Twill, formerly known as Happify Health, which Amazon described as “24/7 access to care through the Twill Therapeutics program.” Here’s more: “Employees can now also access mental health care 24/7 through a new partnership with the app Twill—a digital, self-guided mental health program. Twill also provides mood tracking, science-backed games, and activities designed to help employees and their family members work through negative thoughts, build confidence, and manage stress.” Twill’s offering includes health coaching powered by YourCoach. Amazon also added five free counseling sessions to its EAP. For employees on Premera or Aetna plans, it also added access to Brightline, a mental health provider for children and teens. More here
- Hinge Health now counts more than 1,000 self-insured employers as customers. It hit that milestone about a year after announcing 500 customers. Hinge wrote: “The company has added more customers in the past 12 months than in the prior 7 years combined. Including fully-insured groups and other risk pools, over 21 million lives across tens of thousands of employers from every major private and public sector now have access to Hinge Health.”
- This edition of E&O Wednesdays includes the 49th BigCo digital health employee benefits stack analysis. If you would like a quick summary of what E&O found in its analysis of some of the first 40+ BigCo stacks, check out this searchable, sortable database right here.
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Big employer benefits stacks: Citigroup and Xerox
Digital health companies love to boast how many Fortune 500 customers they have. This recurring feature of E&O Wednesdays digs into a couple of Fortune 500s’ (or similarly-sized employers’) digital health stacks. So far, in past Wednesdays issues, I’ve written about the digital health benefits stacks of dozens of big companies. This searchable, sortable database over at the E&O site sums up the benefits stacks of more than 40 BigCos. Or, click any of the BigCo names below to read the newsletter that featured a full write-up for each:
- Walmart,
- Activision Blizzard,
- JP Morgan Chase,
- The Home Depot,
- Boeing,
- 3M,
- Chevron,
- BorgWarner,
- Bank of America,
- UnitedHealth Group,
- Costco,
- eBay,
- McKesson,
- Ford,
- Dell,
- AT&T,
- Disney,
- Novartis,
- Red Bull,
- VMware,
- T-Mobile/Sprint,
- Adobe,
- Phillips 66,
- Cox Enterprises,
- Wells Fargo,
- PayPal,
- Facebook,
- Sony Pictures,
- General Mills,
- General Electric,
- Comcast,
- News Corp,
- Vanguard,
- Nokia,
- HII,
- Fidelity,
- AbbVie,
- Dow Inc.,
- R.R. Donnelley & Sons,
- Target,
- Chipotle,
- W. W. Grainger,
- Tesla,
- Hitachi,
- Western Digital,
- AmerisourceBergen,
- and Analog Devices.
This week I dug into the benefits stacks of two big companies: Citigroup and Xerox.
First up, Citigroup.
Unlike Xerox (more on them below), Citi, the financial juggernaut with 200 million customers in more than 160 countries, offers a long list of digital health benefits to its employees.
New in 2023: Sword Health for virtual physical therapy
Citi only offered coverage for in-person physical therapy up until now, but starting next year it is offering virtual care via Sword Health. More:
“Beginning in January 2023, there will be another option for the treatment of muscle and joint problems with free virtual physical therapy through SWORD Health. Please note: your current coverage for in-person physical therapy will remain the same. With SWORD Health: Individuals who participate will be matched with a licensed professional physical therapist to receive an evaluation and personalized treatment plan designed around your diagnosis and needs. Live virtual consultation and video instruction will show you how to use wearable sensors and a monitoring device (all provided at no cost to you) that will allow you to receive real-time feedback to correct your form as you do your prescribed exercises. Your physical therapist will review your progress and make adjustments to your program as needed. Using the SWORD app, you can watch educational videos, chat regularly with your physical therapist, learn about your condition and also apply behavioral therapy strategies to help train your brain as you work your body.”
New in 2023: LifeWorks replaces Humana for in-person and virtual therapy, but BetterHelp is still in the mix
Citi replaced Talkspace with BetterHelp in 2022. Well, starting in 2023 Citi is replacing Humana’s in-person and virtual therapy offering with a similar one from LifeWorks. The benefit is still branded as Citi Be Well and Citi is still working with BetterHelp to power additional virtual parts of the program.
“Effective November 1, 2022, the Citi Be Well Program, which offers mental health support for you and your family, will be provided through LifeWorks, a global leader in employee well-being programs, replacing Humana. With this change, your program benefits will expand to include:
- 24/7 instant chat with a professional counselor
- Self-guided CareNow programs using internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT)
- Personalized digital content and tools through the LifeWorks mobile app and website
More free services (up to five in-person sessions with a Be Well counselor and up to five weeks of asynchronous texting or five phone, video or chat sessions through BetterHelp, per issue per year, for each member of your household)”
Telehealth: Teladoc and LiveHealth Online
Citi pitches telehealth as a convenient option for simple medical issues. The digital health company powering the virtual visits depends on the employee’s health plan selection. For Anthem members, it’s a service branded as LiveHealth Online, which is powered by American Well. For Aetna, it’s Teladoc.
“Forming a relationship with a reliable doctor is important, but a telehealth service can treat everyday health care issues—any time, from anywhere—saving you time and money. Telehealth allows you to speak by phone or video with a board-certified doctor 24/7 for a diagnosis on minor, short-term issues, such as a fever or the flu. While costs vary based on your medical option, they will likely be lower than a visit to the doctor’s office.”
Expert medical opinions and second opinions: Included Health (formerly known as Grand Rounds)
“Whether you need help finding the best physician in your area, information about a new diagnosis or treatment or support deciding if surgery is right for you, Included Health will give you expert medical advice, including second opinions from top doctors, for your individual medical needs.”
Another healthcare navigator: Health Advocate
It’s not clear why Citi also offers access to Health Advocate, which offers some of the same things that Included does. The pitch for Health Advocate that Citi provides to employees doesn’t help differentiate it too much either:
“Health Advocate can help you, your spouse/partner, your children, your parents and even your parents-in-law:
- Resolve insurance claims and billing issues Identify and make appointments with hard-to-reach specialists
- Obtain additional information about a medical condition
- Address the medical issues and health care needs of your family members
- Understand issues related to prescription drugs, such as how to compare generic and brand-name medications
- And more!”
Rewards for healthy behaviors powered by Virgin Pulse
Most of Citi’s benefits are integrated with Virgin Pulse to power the company’s incentive program for healthy behaviors:
“You have three ways to earn rewards — taking a Health Assessment, completing points-based activities or earning action rewards. Altogether, you have the potential to earn more than $500 in Live Well Rewards between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. Spouses/partners enrolled in a Citi medical plan can earn more than $400 in Live Well Rewards, too!”
Nutrition coaching from Foodsmart
“With support from a registered dietitian and the easy-to-use Foodsmart app, eating healthier has never been easier. Simply choose what you’d like to work on, like cutting out sweets or portion control. Based on your input, tips will be provided to help you achieve your goals. You can also get ideas for meals that are designed to be healthy, build a shopping list and make a weekly meal plan. You will earn Pulse Points for things like tracking calories and adding recipes to your grocery list.”
RethinkCare (formerly known as Whil) for resilience training
“Develop lifelong skills for improving your mental and emotional health with RethinkCare’s digital learning programs. You can earn Pulse Points by completing evidence-based courses on mindfulness, resilience, self-awareness and more.”
Sleep improvement via Sleepio from Big Health
“If you ever feel groggy during the day, experience anxiety that keeps you from falling asleep, or can’t seem to get a good night’s rest, Sleepio can help. Access Sleepio, an online sleep improvement program, to improve your sleep habits through cognitive behavioral therapy—at no cost to you. Whether you need a few basic tips or require more detailed guidance on how to improve your sleep, Sleepio is scientifically proven to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. Register for Sleepio and complete the two-minute sleep test online to learn your sleep score, then work to improve your sleep with proven techniques developed from over 35 years of related research.”
Diabetes management program from CVS Health
Citi offers employees the diabetes management program from CVS, named Transform Diabetes Care (TDC). More:
“Transform Diabetes Care (TDC) is a comprehensive diabetes care and management program provided through CVS Health. Based on your needs, TDC helps you take control of your health, at home or on the go, with easy-to-use technology and direct access to registered nurses, coaches and dieticians who provide support and resources customized to your needs.”
Citi also offers unnamed tobacco cessation programs that are available to employees via Virgin Pulse. OK, moving into the much shorter list of digital health benefits at Xerox.
Virtual visits from Teladoc and LiveHealth Online
Xerox employees have access to virtual visits via their health plans. So, Aetna members have Teladoc, while Anthem members have LiveHealth Online, which is powered by American Well.
Health Advocate for care navigation
“Health Advocate – Health Advocate gives you access to free, personalized assistance to help you and your family navigate the health care system. Whether you have a question about coverage or are diagnosed with a medical issue, Health Advocate’s team of doctors, registered nurses, and expert health care professionals are available to support you.” Contact Health Advocate to:
- Understand your benefits,
- Resolve claims and billing issues,
- Clarify a diagnosis and research the latest treatment options,
- Connect with in-network providers, including leading specialists, hospitals, and facilities,
- Coordinate transportation and care after a hospital stay,
- Get end-to-end support during all phases of care”
Second opinions from ConsumerMedical
“ConsumerMedical can help you make more informed decisions about your medical treatment by providing personalized research and support for any health condition. A team of doctors, nurses, and medical researchers will evaluate your situation, then provide information from trusted sources to help you learn about your diagnosis and treatment options – including providers, procedures, and their costs. And if your doctor recommends lower back surgery, hip or knee replacement, weight loss surgery, or a hysterectomy, and you participate in the ConsumerMedical surgery decision support program, you can earn a gift card.”
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) from Guidance Resources
“Guidance Resources provides you and your family with support resources for child and elder care, disability, education, and financial and legal services. You receive up to five sessions for each issue at no cost to you. GuidanceResources Online provides free information on relationships, work, school, children, wellness, legal issues, and financial issues. Resources include articles, tutorials, videos, and more.”
Tobacco cessation program: Optum’s Quit for Life
Xerox also offers Optum’s Quit for Life tobacco cessation program, which includes telephonic or text-based coaching, nicotine replacement therapy if needed, and various online tools and trackers.
OK, that’s a wrap on Citi’s and Xerox’s very different benefits stacks. Which BigCos should E&O dig into next? Hit reply if you have a suggestion.
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