Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) today announced that it is partnering with Sharecare, the digital health company that helps people manage all their health in one place, to offer its personalized health platform to Blue Cross commercial customer groups and members starting in 2019. This partnership will provide exclusivity to Blue Cross as the only Minnesota-based plan to offer the Sharecare platform.
As part of the agreement, Sharecare will serve as the foundation for Blue Cross’ digital health management offerings that are part of the health insurer’s do.® health and well-being platform. The do. approach, which can be customized to the unique needs of a specific business and its workforce, is centered around a “small steps” concept that empowers people to take an active role in gradually and consistently improving their own health.
The Sharecare engagement platform includes the following features:
– RealAge®, Sharecare’s proprietary and scientifically validated health risk assessment, which provides people with an accurate measure of the actual age of their body, versus their calendar age. After completing the assessment, Sharecare members receive personalized content and recommendations aimed at lowering their RealAge. To date, more than 45 million people have taken the RealAge test.
– AskMD®, Sharecare’s award-winning symptom checker, which can get someone from finding out “what’s wrong” to understanding what they can do about it.
– Daily tracking and motivation via targeted messaging that can drive long-term health habits.
According to the 2017 state rankings from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, Minnesota ranked fourth for overall well-being in the United States. While the state displayed very strong positions in financial, community and physical well-being, it has opportunities to improve in the areas of social and purpose well-being, as well as specific markers including the number of Minnesotans who are overweight (37.8%) or obese (23.9%), and have had high blood pressure (25.2%), high cholesterol (21.2%) or been diagnosed with depression (21.2%) within their lifetime.
“In addition to its leading position in the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index state rankings, Minnesota is widely recognized as one of the most innovative states in the country, and their first-mover status in healthcare is a significant contributor to their reputation in that regard,” said Jeff Arnold, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Sharecare. “We are proud to join forces with Blue Cross not only to push the healthcare innovation envelope further but also inspire and empower the people of Minnesota to live their healthiest, happiest, most productive lives so they, too, can continue to positively impact their communities and our world.”
