How technology continues to move healthcare innovations forward

Long story short: How technology continues to move healthcare innovations forward

March 4, 2022 10:15 AM

If you want your benefits to work better for your employees, turn to technology.

Employers are utilizing data and other digital tools to ensure that their healthcare offerings are doing the most for their employees. In this week’s top stories, John Hancock is finding ways to support employees dealing with a cancer diagnosis, providing 24/7 digital access to health support, in addition to partnering with top-notch cancer care centers. And thanking the healthcare workers that keep hospitals running is the goal of a new partnership between healthcare tech company Gozio and Wambi. Wambi allows patients and other healthcare workers to express gratitude for their efforts, a small token of appreciation that can make a big difference.

But how can employers make sure the digital health benefits they’re engaging with are the best ones for their employee population? Ellen Kelsay, president and CEO of Business Group on Health, shared what the nonprofit is doing to hold virtual health solutions accountable, and the power employers have to do the same. See more in our top stories of the week:

How can employers retain healthcare workers? Give patients a way to express gratitude

The key to retention lies in reminding healthcare workers why they wanted to work in healthcare and stripping away the notion that it is a thankless job. To drive this point home, Wambi is a digital platform where patients and their families can express gratitude for the healthcare workers they connected with in an inpatient setting. Healthcare workers can also use Wambi to offer each other thanks and feedback.

Now, through its partnership with healthcare tech company Gozio, this tool is integrated into more health systems across the country, such as the University of Miami Health System, which includes three hospitals and over 1,200 physicians and scientists. Associate editor Deanna Cuadra shares more about the platform and why gratitude can be a powerful retention tool.

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How can employers retain healthcare workers? Give patients a way to express gratitude

Business Group on Health CEO discusses the pros and cons of the telehealth explosion

Ellen Kelsay, president and CEO of Business Group on Health, says employers need to ask the tough questions, and respond, rather than react, to the myriad of virtual health solutions that have flooded the market during COVID.

“Now that we’re hopefully coming out of the pandemic, employers need solutions that integrate and partner with other solutions in their ecosystem and make sure they’re committed to improving the outcomes of their population,” Kelsay tells executive editor Alyssa Place in a one-on-one.

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Business Group on Health CEO discusses the pros and cons of the telehealth explosion

Access to best-in-class cancer care is now a benefit for John Hancock employees

Data from Johns Hopkins in September 2017 found that for every 100 employees in the workforce, 5% will have a history of cancer and 27% will be in treatment for cancer. With the American Cancer Society estimating 1.9 million new cancer cases in 2022 alone, many workers may find themselves needing support from their employers in the wake of a diagnosis.

John Hancock is supporting their own team through a partnership with Access Hope, an employee benefit that connects people in treatment for cancer with specialists at National Cancer Institutes, regardless of geographic barriers. Reporter Shelby Rosenberg digs into the benefit and how it’s supporting people with cancer.

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Access to best-in-class cancer care is now a benefit for John Hancock employees

American Eagle is bringing holistic care to its workers. Here’s how

To help employers understand what really impacts their employees’ health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions pushed employers to gather data culled from workplaces and community records to identify the social needs, risks and determinants of health that impact their employees. This report hopes to guide employers in providing more holistic wellness solutions for their workforce.

As the director of benefits for American Eagle Outfitters and the chair for the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health, Tammy Fennessy utilized this data to help their own workforce, building health centers and redesigning bus routes to account for social determinants of health. Associate editor Deanna Cuadra looks into the data and how it’s helping employees in and out of work.

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American Eagle is bringing holistic care to its workers. Here’s how