Piecemealing a Healthcare Cost Containment Solution

No suite of cost containment tools enables benefits consultants to save more money for their clients than an all-in-one, benefits experience platform app like HealthJoy. Siloed services often have low utilization, low ROI and high actual costs. For example, we’ve seen groups with 1,000 employees paying $3.00 PEPM (per employee per month) for standalone telemedicine benefits. With only 2 consults per month, those were $1,500 telemedicine consults. For companies that want real ROI, not just to check off a box, an integrated solution like HealthJoy is the answer.

Here are a few tips for those of you trying to set up your own integrated solution.

How to Build Your Own HealthJoy

The tricky part here for DIY-ers is the actual integration. You need to be able to add one platform that incorporates and simplifies everything else. Our artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant JOY is also one area that DIY-ers will miss out on since it’s unique in the marketplace.

Telemedicine benefits

HealthJoy Tip: Education and communication can’t stop at enrollment. Employees need a one-stop resource for benefits guidance where they are reminded about telemedicine 365 days of the year. See our Employee Benefits Communication Guide for more.

In the past 15 years, telemedicine has become one of the most common strategies for cost containment. Avoiding a single emergency room visit can save a company thousands of dollars. Telemedicine benefits have a long track record of ROI, with most studies putting the range of telemedicine savings around $420 – $817 per usage. The only issue with telemedicine is getting employees to remember to use it.

HealthJoy’s telemedicine benefits utilization is 25X that of standard programs. How do we do it? Our app is an employee’s go-to for all their benefits and healthcare needs. Over 50% of our telemedicine consults actually occur when an employee is using the app for a different service. For example, if someone is chatting with our virtual assistant JOY to find an in-network dermatologist, she might suggest they try an online consultation.

Most people don’t realize that they can take a picture of a mole and submit it to our doctors right away. Instead of visiting a PCP for a referral and then going to a dermatologist, the whole situation can be taken care of in minutes. Take a second to appreciate the time and cost savings that’s just taken place. Our concierge staff will also recommend telemedicine when applicable. No other telemedicine providers take such an integrated approach to maximize utilization and savings.

Advocacy

HealthJoy Tip: Reduce friction to use by proactively reaching employees in the medium where they are most comfortable. People are no longer willing to pick up the phone and make a call. You need to embrace technology. Read The Best Benefits Engagement Tool You Haven’t Used to learn more.

Employees are confused by healthcare. A survey by PolicyGenius found that only 4% of Americans understand the terms that determine how much they have to pay for medical care. Without someone to guide employees, this confusion can cost both employers and employees money. Most advocacy services have existed as a “sell-and-hide” service. They offer a phone number that’s added to an employee’s benefit package with a simple brochure. Sure, it’s cheap, but nobody uses it. There’s no ROI if nobody uses these services.

HealthJoy approaches advocacy a little differently from most companies in the space. Yes, employees can reach our healthcare concierge via phone like for other providers, but what sets us apart is our easy-to-use, chat-based app. Everyone is comfortable texting, and our app is that easy.

Instead of worrying about waiting on hold, people can open our app and make a request at any time. JOY can handle many requests without assistance. She will also proactively reach out to employees to make sure they are reaching their wellness goals, educate them on services or deliver custom messages from a company’s HR department.

Members can also chat directly with our concierge staff about any issue. The duo of JOY and our concierge staff results in industry-leading utilization.

They proactively encourage members to tackle healthcare costs through our services like…

• Telemedicine – Saving $420 per consult in redirection
• Rx review – We average $75 saved per medication per month
• Medical bill review – 20% off per review on average
• HSA account support – Increases and improves employee utilization
• Procedure & diagnostic price transparency – $500 saved on average per case

Medical Bill Review

HealthJoy Tip: If employees need to create another account on their own, don’t be surprised by low utilization. Keep it simple and easy.

It’s been estimated that up to 80% of all medical bills have errors. Using a bill review service is a simple way to ensure that your clients aren’t overpaying for medical services. Most traditional services will have an employee fax, scan or email a medical bill for review. Usage is low because of the friction that’s involved with setting up the process. Employees must create an account, open a case file and then transfer the documents. Employees will generally only bother if their out-of-pocket expense is high and they haven’t yet hit their deductibles.

HealthJoy has made the medical bill review process a breeze. Members have only to take a snapshot of their bill from their mobile phone and it’s automatically sent to be reviewed. Our app is 100% HIPAA certified and we use bank-level encryption to send our data.

Benefits Wallet

HealthJoy Tip: Keep everything in one place that employees will have with them at all times.

Companies can spend thousands creating a benefits portal for employees to obtain their benefits information. It’s usually information overload, but this self-service model can be useful at times.

HealthJoy includes a customized, digital employee benefits wallet for every company. It’s always available and up to date.

Decision Time

Building your own HealthJoy is doable, especially if you are comfortable coordinating 5 or 6 vendors. But you have to ask yourself: Will employees use all of those disparate services, or should I provide one flexible cost-containment platform with proven ROI and utilization?

Telemedicine Benefits Guide

Learn more »