What's Next in Health & Wellbeing? Virgin Pulse Shares Expected Trends for 2023 and Beyond in New Three-Part Series

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Dec 08, 2022, 09:00 ET

Subject matter experts provide insights across wide range of health and wellbeing topics to help leaders at health plans, health systems, and employers address consumer expectations and market evolution

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Dec. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The past two+ years have been unpredictable for organizations and their people. Between soaring healthcare costs, the blurred line between work-life and home-life, and a wellbeing state of emergency, people are now deeply invested in their health and wellbeing and expect more from both their employers and their healthcare organizations. More than 80% of U.S. workers said they will be looking for employers that support mental health when they seek future job opportunities, yet companies could face health cost increases of 9-10% through 2026 due to inflationary pressure passed through from providers. To shed light on what employers, health plans, and health systems can expect and plan for over the coming years, Virgin Pulse is unveiling a new three-part eBook series, "Industry Leaders' Trends and Predictions: The future of health, wellbeing, and navigation."

"The world is changing and people's needs and expectations for their own health and wellbeing are changing along with it. We're facing pandemic-driven delayed care, ongoing access issues, and rising costs with greater consumer responsibility," said Chris Michalak, CEO of Virgin Pulse, the leading global digital-first health, wellbeing, and navigation company. "To be successful, organizations must shape a future that works for everyone: individuals, the workforce, and the organization – and not just for 2023, but future-proofed for tomorrow. The insights our experts have shared are essentials, not fads. Virgin Pulse created this eBook series to help hospitals and health systems, health plans, and employers understand how to best plan for and keep pace with these emerging and evolving needs."

The Trends and Predictions eBook series provides insights from Virgin Pulse executives and Science Advisory Board members; Virgin Pulse partner ecosystem experts, including Carrum Health, Cariloop, Digbi, meQ, Ovia Health, RethinkCare, and Rx Savings Solutions; and Holly Branson, chief purpose and vision officer for Virgin Group. Through written and video content, these subject matter experts discuss their expectations for what trends employers, health plans, and health systems should plan for over the next three years. These include:

The future of digital health looks beyond traditional care models – Virgin Pulse CEO Chris Michalak expects that new approaches to healthcare that enable greater convenience and cost-effectiveness, and embrace the whole person, will challenge old models – with the new approaches emerging victorious. He anticipates three main trends will move from emerging to commonplace:

Market offerings will continue to evolve and consolidate, providing patients with easier, more convenient access to the information and care they need to manage their health.
The home will become a true care setting with digital innovations and services to support it.
Services and solutions that are mostly focused on physical health will add mental health components, finally addressing whole-person care.

Personalization will enhance the member/patient experience – Salem Shunnarah, executive vice president and general manager, Health Plans and Systems at Virgin Pulse, expects health plans and hospitals and health systems to embrace a hyper-personalized approach to member/patient engagement over the next few years in response to consumer expectations as well as ongoing industry challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. These organizations will embrace new models and data-driven approaches for engagement and communication, providing a better, more personalized experience for their populations.
Employers will create communities and reap the rewards in their people and their business –Despite the many challenges facing employers today, Laura Walmsley, executive vice president and general manager, Employers at Virgin Pulse, believes that organizations of all sizes will increasingly establish programs and cultures that support a healthier, more vibrant community inside and outside of the workplace. Building community at work is an important element that positively contributes to employee engagement, loyalty, wellbeing, and health and related costs. Employers that prioritize community creation will also experience higher retention and productivity rates.

Resources and Experts Available

To download the three-part eBook and video, please visit here. Please note, Parts One and Two are currently available, and Part Three will be released on Tuesday, December 13.
Virgin Pulse will host a webinar on Tuesday, December 13 at 1pm ET to discuss more trends and predictions across the spectrum of health, wellbeing, and navigation. Visit here to learn more and register.
Members of the media interested in speaking with a Virgin Pulse expert about these insights can contact Julie Sculley, director of corporate communications, at [email protected].

About Virgin Pulse

Virgin Pulse is the leading digital-first health, wellbeing, and navigation company that empowers organizations across the globe to activate populations, improve health outcomes, and reduce spend in an era of accelerating cost and complexity. Virgin Pulse's Homebase for Health® connects data, people, and technology to deliver high tech, human touch experiences that engage and reward individual journeys. Virgin Pulse impacts over 100 million people across 190 countries by helping Fortune 500, national health plans, and many other organizations change lives – and businesses – for good. For more tips and insights, connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

SOURCE Virgin Pulse