Great-West Life Assurance Co. is launching a mobile-friendly health and wellness platform with strategic features to encourage plan members to take charge of their own health.
Health Connected includes digital health coaching, which allows users to complete a comprehensive, personalized health-risk assessment outlining risks across 15 health and wellness categories, as well as their standing in seven core skills mastered by healthy people, according to a press release.
The platform then moves the plan member’s high health risks into the digital health coach to help them build a 28-day action plan to stay motivated.
Read: Virtual care among ‘dramatic change’ predicted for benefits plans in future
It also offers team and solo challenges in nutrition, fitness, stress or happiness to help users practice their health skills in a fun, competitive way. Game elements, like points and badges, keep plan members engaged and help create long-term healthy habits. The platform also includes virtual adventures with workouts that can go global through virtual tours of world capitals, which can help users adapt their fitness routines, stay focused and take control of their workouts.
“Many of us struggle to practice self-care, be it through exercise, nutritious food, good sleep hygiene or stress-management techniques,” said Ryan Weiss, vice-president of group customer product and experience at Great-West Life, in the release. “Health Connected has a built-in engagement strategy — our wellness prizes — that reward taking steps to improve health and get at the heart of this challenge.”
The platform is accessible to all members of Great-West Life group health and benefits plan at no extra cost to plan sponsors. “We’re making this investment in our customers’ organizational wellness because we believe it will help improve employee morale and engagement and reduce disability claims,” said Weiss.
Read: Just 9% of employers offer virtual health care: survey