Workplace Health Provision Easing Burden on Public Health
Introduce yourself and HealthKey
I am the Founder and CEO of HealthKey, a multi-sided health network with the mission to make good health easily accessible for everyone.
I have a background in philosophy and law, before moving into consulting at BCG, and later into the digital health startup space at Thriva, before founding HealthKey.
HealthKey is built on the core beliefs that proactive and preventive health is a good investment, not just for the individual but also for employers, insurers, and society as a whole.
It’s a good investment because these multiple stakeholders in our life are interested in keeping us healthy, and willing to pay for it. The best health providers tend to specialise, and that it therefore takes a wide network of providers to give the best care.
How does preventative healthcare lightens the load on healthcare systems?
The world of employee benefits is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by the rapid advancements in healthtech and the growing emphasis on preventative and proactive care.
Having worked in several health contexts, as a consultant, operator and now as founder, I have witnessed first-hand how this intersection of technology and proactive preventive care is reshaping the way we approach employee health and wellbeing.
By embracing these innovations, we have the opportunity to not only improve the lives of our employees but also contribute to the long-term sustainability of our healthcare systems.
Why are personalised workplace healthcare solutions growing?
First, we all know that our public health systems are under immense pressure, particularly due to a lack of resources. At the same time, people actually have more health needs than before, particularly in areas like mental health.
Employee health benefits have a huge potential to be a force for change in this respect, but are too often one-size-fits-all and fail to address the unique needs of each employee.
People expect and are totally accustomed to personalisation in other areas of their lives, and this should be the case for health benefits as well. There’s therefore both a need, a direct demand, and the opportunity to meet this demand with the proliferation of new targeted health solutions.
Proactive healthcare, just as successful employee benefits, needs to be engaging, and personalisation is key to making health solutions engaging for individuals.
How can we bridge the gap between health providers and payers?
The biggest challenge in bridging the gap between health providers and payers is fragmentation. The best health services come from specialised providers focusing on specific areas, for example women's health, musculoskeletal issues and mental health.
These specialists have deep expertise and experience in their area, but by implication, are niche in the sense they can’t cover all the needs of an employee group. Employers need comprehensive solutions to cater to a broad range of people covering a wide variety of areas. That means that it’s a lopsided market, with payers on one side, each needing to access numerous specialised suppliers. This fragmentation makes procurement, integration and engagement difficult for payers.
As you can imagine it takes time to procure and integrate multiple solutions, and many payers will therefore struggle to build engaging user experiences if dealing with many different suppliers and services. HealthKey is built specifically to address this infrastructure challenge of connecting a wide range of specialised providers with the payers who need comprehensive solutions.
How is preventative medicine improving employee well-being?
Public health systems for the most part don’t provide preventive and proactive care, and growing wait lists for public health services means that often individuals will wait longer and have minor conditions escalate before getting the help they need, putting yet more pressure on their own health and the healthcare system, creating a downward spiral.
Digital health solutions can help by enabling people to access care earlier, like using an app to get personalised stretches for a sore knee instead of waiting until it becomes a chronic issue requiring multiple doctor visits, or unlocking pharmacy access for skincare and minor ailments.
Clearly the more prevention that we do, the less frequently that people will need healthcare services, and the less intensive those services will be.
How can employer-sponsored health programs ease pressure on public healthcare systems?
Employer-sponsored health programs are not about creating a private health system to compete with public healthcare; they're about working collaboratively to promote wellness and prevent illness.
An important recent progression is employers are now increasingly providing preventive and proactive healthcare not just for employees, but also for their families. Supporting employees' partners, children, and elderly parents can have a positive impact on the wider community and public health systems.
Just as people go to the gym or see a dietitian to stay healthy and avoid needing NHS services, employer-sponsored health programs can serve a similar function in promoting wellness and preventing illness.
It's a win-win situation, with employers benefiting from a healthier, more productive workforce and public health systems experiencing reduced demand for reactive care.