In a partnership with Solera Health, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is expanding its personalized health and wellness program to include mental and musculoskeletal health offerings.

Solera Health is an independent company that built a customized healthcare platform. It offers select condition-management programs on behalf of BlueCross. The health and wellness program, called My Health Novel, has been expanded to include providers such as eMindful, Headspace and Ginger for mental and behavioral health. Digital therapy solutions are offered by providers Hinge Health, Kaia Health and Sworkit for musculoskeletal conditions.

They were selected, said BlueCross, because they met certain standards for efficacy and customer satisfaction. My Health Novel will use Solera's matching algorithm to pair patients with the solutions from which they would most likely benefit.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

BlueCross and Solera launched the My Health Novel platform in 2021 with a weight-management program designed to help fully insured employer groups connect employees with tools and support that fit their individual lifestyles. The first chapter focused on healthy weight management, diabetes prevention and behavioral counseling.

The weight management chapter showed a positive impact on member satisfaction, engagement and outcomes, BCBS said: Some 84% of participants said the program increased their satisfaction with BlueCross, while 93% of participants were matched to online-only programs.

That initial launch period suggested people are using multiple programs at one time and was part of the reason BCBS and Solera green-lit the My Health Novel expansion. Adding mental health and musculoskeletal support allows the program to address more diverse needs, the organizations said.

This "second chapter," as the companies call it, is expected to create new member engagement opportunities, and the feedback from the program will inform existing and future curricula.

THE LARGER TREND

Mental health concerns keep rising among Americans of all backgrounds, especially for people who are Black, young adults, older than 65 or who identify as LGBTQIA+.

That's according to a recent CVS Health/Morning Consult Poll, released this month, which also showed that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are largely more comfortable pursuing mental health support and feel positive about technology, such as telehealth, used to deliver it.

Results show that a majority of respondents, 59%, have experienced concerns about either their own mental health or that of family and friends. That's a 9% increase since April 2020. Another majority, 53%, agree that hearing about other people's challenges makes them more comfortable seeking out resources and care for themselves.

Most people agree that, since the pandemic's start, society has become more comfortable engaging in mental health discussions (56%), using digital tools to improve mental health (58%) and using telemedicine for therapy (63%)

Source: https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/bcbs-south-carolina-partners-solera-mental-musculoskeletal-health