apree whole health adds high-value clinical services to its leading navigation platform to improve health outcomes for commercial populations
SAN FRANCISCO, June 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — apree health, formerly Castlight Health and Vera Whole Health, today launched apree whole health, a nationally available navigation and clinical advocacy solution designed to help employers and health plans improve population health outcomes and lower the total cost of care. By combining personalized health navigation technology with clinician-led support, including holistic health coaching and complex care management, apree health is engaging people in exceptional health and care experiences.
Powered by the industry’s most robust dataset of aggregated claims, provider cost and quality data, benefit program eligibility and engagement data, and admission, discharge and transfer feeds, the apree whole health solution intelligently supports members in making the right decisions around both their health and care. The same data that serves as the backbone for the apree health member digital experience, developed over the last 15 years under Castlight Health, is now in the hands of a team of member advocates, health coaches, and care managers. Delivering actionable, timely, and consistent guidance through their preferred channel, the solution connects members to high-value care, navigates them to valuable benefits, reduces the administrative burden on individuals with services like appointment scheduling, and addresses a broad spectrum of holistic wellbeing needs including financial, social, physical, and mental wellbeing.
“To really bend the cost curve, we need each person to understand and be involved in their own health and wellness journey,” said Johnny Kaye, senior vice president, Solution Management, apree health. “The apree whole health solution puts the person at the center of the equation. With more than fifteen years of investments in data, analytics, and technology, we can deeply know each person to capture their attention, engage with them, and connect them to the right resources and the care they need–resulting in higher quality care and lower costs for purchasers of healthcare and their people.”
apree whole health includes access to a centralized team of health and benefits experts offering member advocacy to navigate barriers to care, health coaching to drive behavior change, and care management to improve care coordination and referrals to high-value care for those with complex health issues. Rooted in principles from Vera Whole Health’s advanced primary care model, apree health clinical services incorporate multiple dimensions of whole person health and wellness to create clinically meaningful action plans aligned to the individual member’s needs. Health coaches and care managers are available through phone, email, and HIPAA-compliant secure chat, allowing members to connect with the support they need on their preferred mode of communications.
Nationally board certified health and wellness coaches support lifestyle changes, including healthy habit formation around nutrition, exercise, stress and tobacco cessation and management of chronic conditions to prevent disease progression. Armed with rich data to foster person-centric conversations and with deep training in empathetic listening and motivational interviewing, apree health coaches develop dynamic partnerships with individuals that support improved self-care. With more than 10 years of proven experience in health coaching in Vera Whole Health care centers, apree whole health’s coaching program achieved improvements in clinical markers including low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, total cholesterol and blood pressure for more than 70% of program participants, leading to improved outcomes and lower overall healthcare spend.
apree whole health’s complex care management program begins with data-driven engagement, using predictive analytics and clinical triggers to identify high- and rising-risk members and connect them to a registered nurse (RN) care manager. This tech-forward approach helps to catch members before their clinical issues become catastrophic and empowers apree health’s care managers with sophisticated data and tools to monitor and make recommendations for the patient’s next steps. Focused care management programs for ER Impact and RN Triage ensure that those with acute incidents are connected to the right site of care and the right provider to contain unnecessary spend. Care managers ensure outstanding care coordination, high-quality referrals to the right providers and right sites of care, appropriate adherence to medications and screenings, and education on conditions and comorbidities to achieve healthier outcomes.
“The apree solution has been integral to our strategy and success in curbing healthcare costs,” said Rich Krutsch, vice president of People Services, at ArcBest, a logistics and supply chain company and customer since 2017. “With apree health, we’ve empowered our people with navigation technology and advocacy support to engage them with their comprehensive health and wellbeing needs, which results in the development of a vital workforce.”
