These technology-driven healthcare benefits are improving access to care

September 2, 2025 7:00 AM

With healthcare costs on the rise, benefit leaders are being confronted with how to keep their employees healthy while staying mindful of budgets. Advances in medical technology are helping them accomplish both.

Cancer, heart disease and musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders are the health conditions costing employers the most. Regular screenings and other types of preventative care are essential to staying ahead of late-stage diagnoses and worsening health, but barriers to including geographic location, financial challenges and busy work and home schedules can keep employees from seeking or following up on regular care.

To combat this, forward-thinking healthcare companies are creating technology-based tools that allow people to access virtual and digital care, reduce the administrative burden on providers and offer employers important analytics that help them make more informed benefit decisions.

Here are some of the latest tech-driven benefit offerings allowing employees to seek expert, convenient, affordable care in some of health's most challenging areas.

Battling burnout in the healthcare industry

Digital health platform Sword Health has already utilized AI to transform employees' access to virtual physical therapy and other pain solutions. Partnering with human clinicians, employees have access to best-in-class resources powered by technology. Now, Sword is using this same approach to support healthcare workers with their own unique needs.

Through Sword Intelligence, the platform's new consumer-facing division, healthcare providers will gain access to AI Care Manager agents to streamline the coordination of care, reduce administrative burden and help organizations operate faster and more effectively.

"Demand for healthcare is increasing, but the ability to serve that demand is not keeping pace," says Virgilio Bento, founder and CEO of Sword Health. "Sharing the AI agents we built for ourselves felt like the natural next step. It's a way to help others manage their patient care more efficiently, without adding more administrative burden to already-stretched teams."

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Sword Health tackles healthcare burnout with new AI platform

AI-powered physical therapy for MSK care

For the 50% of employees suffering from musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, a physical therapy benefit that provides effective, efficient care means they can better manage their treatment and their time. LainaHealth's AI-based PT program can deliver both.

LainaHealth's platform seeks to help people overcome all of these hindrances by providing digital access to PT anywhere through their smart device — no downloads or equipment required. The AI component runs alongside expert care from the company's staff of doctors of physical therapy (DPT), ensuring a well-rounded experience for users.

"It's all anchored in access," says Ryan Eder, LainaHealth's founder and CEO. "We integrate with the existing provider network — with primary care physicians, with your orthopedic specialist — and our whole goal is to expand access to their network. They refer to us like you would a traditional PT: We collaborate on care plan structures, we collect all the outcomes data, and we report it back."

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This AI-powered PT benefit is improving MSK outcomes

Personalized cancer care plans

"Cancer is consistently rated among the highest cost drivers for healthcare expenses for employers," says Trupti Mukker, co-founder and COO at Complement 1, a healthcare startup. "Cancer doesn't just impact individuals — it affects entire workplaces."

Complement 1's program was developed by oncologists and cancer exercise experts in partnership with the American Institute for Cancer Research. Users can input their cancer type, treatment, side effects and lifestyle directly into the program, which is equipped with over 3,600 scenarios to meet the needs of the patient. A plan is then created using AI technology tailored to their situation, focusing on exercise, nutrition and mind-body practices. Patients also have access to one-on-one lifestyle coaching with trained health professionals.

The program, which can be added to existing healthcare benefit offerings, is designed to work alongside patients' oncology care — not replace it, according to Mukker. While past oncology innovations have traditionally focused on diagnostics and therapeutics, Complement 1 aims to tackle the behavioral side of cancer care, an area lacking in support.

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How this AI platform is improving low-cost access to cancer care

Screening for heart health at home

Heart disease is the top cause of death in the U.S., and the number of cases among working adults under age 65 is increasing. A new at-home screening tool removes barriers to care and helps individuals take control of their heart health.

Reperio Health's tech-enabled at-home cardiovascular wellness screening kit offers an accessible way for individuals to measure their cardiovascular health, and then connects them with a healthcare provider to follow up on a care plan. The goal is to prevent a condition from becoming chronic, says Travis Rush, Reperio's co-founder and CEO.

"We are constantly in this chase as a country to get chronic care under control," Rush says "Our company's entire focus is, how do we get data in people's hands sooner and with less friction, so that they can keep things from happening that put them in a chronic situation?"

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This at-home cardiac health kit increases access to preventative care

Expanded maternal health support

Maternal healthcare has come a long way, but there is still a need for additional support for mothers facing high risk pregnancies. In response, family-building and fertility benefits platform WIN expanded their benefit offering to better meet those needs.

Through WIN's maternity programs, employees now have access to a 24/7 nurse advocate who can provide them with personalized, ongoing support that is tailored specifically to their medical history, their preferences and personal family goals. Employees will also gain access to resources such as virtual maternity specialists, as well as doula and lactation support, and be rewarded with different incentives for participating and engaging with those resources in an effort to promote a healthier prenatal lifestyle.

"In many instances, we're able to address these high risk pregnancies months before they fully manifest," Dr. Shedlin says. "Once all of the results are in, we can then use our system to find the kinds of treatments that will lead to better outcomes."

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WIN's new benefit supports women through high risk pregnancies

Improving access to holistic mental health

As of 2024, 93% of employers offered telehealth options, according to data from Kaiser Family Foundation. With advancements in technology, these tools are especially helpful when addressing mental health in the workplace, an area still plagued with accessibility challenges and stigma.

"There's this need to segment how you talk about your benefits and care approaches in a way that speaks to different audiences and what they care about," says Joe Grasso, VP of workforce transformation at mental health and wellness platform Lyra Health. "But employers don't want to manage six to eight vendors [to do this]. There's this demand to have a solution that's really comprehensive, but also holistic for the employee, and easier to manage for the benefits leader."

At Lyra Health, their virtual care model works in tandem with clinicians and providers, enabling employees to find the right fit for their level of support. Whether that's mental health education, coaching, or weekly therapy sessions, technology supports each employee's individual journey, Grasso says.

Read the article:

How technology is easing mental health care pain points