We told you recently about Priority Health Rewards, the Michigan-based insurer program that gives members cash rewards when they use the company’s app to research and book common procedures covered by their health plans. The hope is that members will be more engaged in choosing their providers and that more informed choices will result in cost-savings for both Priority Health and its members.
But insurers aren’t the only healthcare companies offering incentives to influence consumer habits. Healthcare innovators like HealthTap and iHealth are currently using incentives to promote their products and services, as well. Here’s what they’re up to:
- HealthTap, a company promoting telehealth as a way to make “access to doctors convenient and affordable,” donates to charity when customers get a virtual consult.
- iHealth, which sells digital “wellness devices,” partners with Tryazon to encourage consumers to host “iHealth parties” (not unlike Tupperware parties). Its current promotion awards free “party packs” that include samples of the brand’s gadgets like wireless scales and blood pressure monitors, to selected hosts for parties coming up in September.
It’s an understatement to say that the way consumers access and utilize healthcare has been in flux for several years and that there are many companies who want to make a mark during this period of change and upheaval. These innovators will survive (and thrive) only if the new tools they’re introducing into the market are adopted by consumers.