Digital delivery of healthcare benefits by employers could be rewarded with a more loyal, more resilient workforce for subsequent disruptions.
Healthcare is a balance between the utter efficiency needed to run healthcare centers and the time and patient-centered policies that keep patients coming back. Together these things offer improved patient outcomes. In many operational areas, companies have been offering employees everything ranging from telehealth services to the use of new healthcare-related monitoring and diagnosis technologies. Covid accelerated digital transformation for healthcare, which many organizations were already adopting before the pandemic.
With such initiatives, employers can have significant impacts on their employees’ quality of life. According to a survey from Mercer, that connection is stronger post-pandemic. The survey covers a range of employer-related health offerings, but what stands out now is the presence of digital options. Employees expect to see these options even after the pandemic is long gone.
According to the survey, one-fifth of employers offered telehealth choices for the first time during Covid. Another 23% increased their usage of telehealth services. This follows a trend even before the disruption, and employees are expecting it to stick around.
Even more significant, many employers are looking for alternative solutions to providing healthcare. For some, smart apps that support employees in finding, organizing, and discovering care for physical and mental health are key to keeping healthcare costs down but employees healthier.
For others, even more cutting-edge technology is fulfilling the gap. Virtual reality tools, for example, could help deliver dynamic mental health and self-care solutions that leave even remote employees feeling better.
Digital access to healthcare is here to stay
The survey asked more than 14,000 employees across 13 countries what they want for their health and wellbeing. Digital delivery of benefits remains high on the list and could help make healthcare more equitable and accessible.
Employers should take note of the desire for technology to deliver healthcare solutions. Employers that place humanity at the center of their business could be rewarded with a more loyal, more resilient workforce for subsequent disruptions.
