Sharecare (Atlanta) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota recently announced that they have forged a partnership to offer Sharecare’s personalized health platform to Blue Cross commercial customer groups and members starting in 2019.
The agreement offers exclusivity to Blue Cross as the only Minnesota-based plan to offer Sharecare. As part of the agreement, Sharecare will be the foundation for Blue Cross’s digital health management offerings that serve as part of the health insurer’s Do health and wellbeing platform.
Do is fully customizable for the unique needs of specific businesses and their workforces. it is centered around a “small steps” concept that helps people have an active role in gradually and consistently providing their own health.
Sharecare helps customers have a comprehensive and ultra-personalized health profile that drives personal engagement and connections to information from its evidence-based programs. It includes features like RealAge, AskMD and daily tracking and motivation through targeted messaging that drives long-term health habits. RealAge is a health risk assessment that gives users an accurate measure of the actual age of their body versus their biological age. After they complete the RealAge assessment, Sharecare members get personalized content and recommendations that are aimed at lowering their RealAges. AskMD is a symptom checker program that helps users find out what is wrong and gives them a better understanding of the solutions they can take to fix it.
“Sharecare is a great match with the health and wellbeing programs we offer at Blue Cross,” said Cain A. Hayes, president and chief operating officer of the health business for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. “Both of our organizations are focused on bringing about real change in people’s health through meaningful experiences and information that inspire action and reward progress. Empowering and encouraging people on their health journeys is at the heart of what we do and is central to our mission of making a healthy difference in people’s lives.”
Blue Cross offers a number of configurable health management options for employers that will also be available on the Sharecare platform starting in 2019. Some of the options include customized reward programs to incentivize employees in taking steps to improve their health, wellness challenges to create fun and healthy competition while increasing engagement, health screening options through BioIQ that gives employers and employees a screening platform to stay informed about health improvement and a powerful analysis and deep insights on the overall health of an employee population that offers recommendations on how to address the behaviors and factors that are driving results.
The state of Minnesota is ranked fourth overall in the U.S. for overall wellbeing on the 2017 Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.
“In addition to its leading position in the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being index state rankings, Minnesota is widely recognized as one of the most innovative states in the country, and their first mover status in healthcare is a significant contributor to their reputation in that regard,” Jeff Arnold, cofounder, chairman and CEO of Sharecare, said. “We are proud to join forces with Blue Cross not only to push the healthcare innovation envelope further but also inspire and empower the people of Minnesota to live heir healthiest, happiest, most productive lives so they, too, can continue to positively impact their communities and our world.”
