Managing climbing costs and members’ health needs are a tough balancing act for employers and health plans, so many have turned to digital health vendors or ‘point solutions’ to help. Point solutions are tools and services that help users address specific areas of concern (MSK, women’s health, addiction). With thousands of vendors, employers and health plans are overwhelmed with options. Making it challenging to choose the right ones and often times leading to point solution fatigue.
Point Solution Fatigue
Point solution fatigue poses several challenges for employers, health plans, and members alike. Benefits leaders are tasked with juggling multiple disconnected solutions, leading to increased administrative burden and implementation complexity. In fact, one study found that 50% of organizations are managing between 4 and 9 different solutions.
On the other hand, members may experience frustration and confusion as they navigate numerous apps or platforms to manage their health needs. As of September 2024, there were over 35,000 health related apps available on the Apple App Store. While these solutions have the potential to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes, they can also become fragmented and disconnected over time.
Additionally, the lack of integration and optimization across point solutions can lead to missed opportunities for holistic care, lower member engagement rates, and increased healthcare costs.
Overcoming Point Solution Fatigue
To overcome point-solution fatigue, employers and health plans need to take a strategic approach. This includes:
- Identify the best solutions – Selecting the right point solution vendors (PSVs) for your members increases the likelihood you’ll achieve positive health and cost outcomes. It also reduces the time and resources you’ll need to invest in administration.
- Encourage and evaluate member engagement – Members may not know they have access to certain point solutions or how those solutions could benefit them. Postcards can get thrown away, and emails are often deleted. While engagement can be challenging to achieve, if your PSVs are going to improve member health, it’s vital. Engagement is key and requires a strategy that delivers the right information to the right members at the right time.
- Optimize your ongoing point solution strategy – You’ll need to investigate whether your solutions are continually improving health outcomes, creating great member experiences, and offering good value. While it’s typically best to retain PSVs rather than frequently switching it up, the end of your initial contract is typically a good time to assess outcomes.
Leverage a Connected Navigation Partner
Navigating healthcare can feel overwhelming, especially when members are faced with a fragmented system of diverse point solutions. To simplify this journey and reduce fatigue, apree offers a connected navigation platform, Castlight. The app integrates a wide range of resources into a single, seamless experience.
This unified approach reduces the frustration of managing multiple health tools by providing a cohesive platform. apree partners with over 30 best-in-class PSVs across 20+ health categories. Vendors are assessed and selected for their clinical foundation and ability to deliver positive health outcomes and cost savings.
Download our free guide, “3 Steps to Overcome Point Solution Fatigue”, and you’ll be able to optimize your offerings, improve member experience, and achieve better health outcomes.
