Employers are often bogged down with multiple different healthcare point solutions, and getting employees to engage with them isn’t always easy.
Celeste Health Solutions, which was launched Wednesday by parent company USAble Corporation, aims to take this burden off of employers’ shoulders. The Little Rock, Arkansas-based company offers access to a range of solutions, including Virta for diabetes and obesity care, Vori Health for musculoskeletal support, Maven Clinic for women’s health and Brightline for pediatric mental health. The company uses data to connect employees to the right solutions for them. Members can then access all of their benefits through Celeste’s app. They can also call or message with a Celeste Care Advocate if they have questions about their benefits.
For employers, Celeste offers administrative support that includes simplified contracting and billing. Additionally, employers receive detailed reporting on their members and assessments of their return on investment.
“[Healthcare is] awfully complicated, and there are a number of these disease-specific third-party point solutions, companies that support and serve the members in various ways,” said Bryan Dorathy, Celeste’s vice president of innovation, in an interview. “Those companies are here to stay. Many of them do a fantastic job, but it is very difficult for the employers to wade through all that’s out there and administer those services well and really integrate in a way that the members can optimize the benefit of all those services that are made available.
“We really take that administrative burden off the employer’s plate, and we focus on designing integrations with those third parties that create solid member experience that drives better engagement across those solutions,” he continued.
Celeste officially started working with employers in January, and already serves 30,000 members across 48 states, according to Dorathy. Employers “generally” pay a per-member-per-month fee, but it varies “based on the particular employer’s health plan solutions and the things that they choose to integrate,” he said.
To further support employers, Celeste is working with healthcare navigation company Accolade. Celeste with Accolade will offer virtual care options, navigation and advocacy and expert medical opinions.
“We are proud to play a role in launching a forward-thinking new model for guided, ‘smart’ health benefits,” said Rajeev Singh, Accolade’s CEO, in a statement. “By proactively engaging with employees and their families in the moments that matter, Celeste with Accolade can actively support each person to help them live their healthiest life.”
According to a recent report by Celeste, half of employers in the U.S. contract with four to nine point solutions. And the cost of dealing with healthcare challenges and benefits administration is approximately $21.57 billion.
Looking ahead, Celeste ultimately aims to make a difference in employees’ health, Dorathy said.
“We really want to grow our relationships with third parties,” he stated. “We want to grow the sophistication of our integrations, we want to improve our member experiences, continue to develop more specific and nuanced clinical care pathways with these various solutions.”
Photo: Feodora Chiosea, Getty Images
