1. Staying on top of possible solutions becomes a non-issue
Supplemental benefits are anything but “set it and forget it.” The marketplace, prominent health priorities and employee expectations are always evolving. And employers need their benefits portfolios to keep pace.
However, real-world data estimates show that overall osteoporosis screening rates remain quite low, ranging from 12% among those over age 80 to 26% among those age 65–79. This suggests a potential opportunity for new tools or technologies to help bridge the gap between guidelines and patient care.
Take cancer as an example. Delayed screenings and demographic shifts are contributing to a notable rise in cases, even as treatment breakthroughs — from biosimilars to CAR T-cell therapies to immune checkpoint inhibitors — roll out at an astonishing rate.
Employers feel the pinch, with half now identifying cancer as their number one driver of healthcare cost.3
Feverish demand to contain costs while bettering outcomes has helped propel dozens of oncology solutions onto the market. These solutions include symptom management, remote monitoring, patient education, treatment navigation and more.
But sifting through solutions typically falls on the employer — a task made more daunting by the fact that cancer support is just one corner of supplemental benefits.
But with a hub strategy, the health plan does the heavy lifting of tracking trends, assessing clinical claims and technology breakthroughs, and keeping tabs on the latest and greatest vendor offerings.
Employers who use Optum® Hub have access to a curated network of vendors that speak to employee demands.