How telehealth tools helped 64% of VSP Vision's employees better manage their care

Virtual healthcare can have real-world impact. 

That's a lesson that employers and employees alike have (finally) accepted, largely as a result of the pandemic. But for employers such as VSP Vision Care, a global vision health insurance company that has recently implemented virtual care solutions for its 5,000 U.S.-based employees, digital care has had an outsize impact on employee health. 

"Digital solutions have just helped employees manage and maintain compliance," says April Bettencourt, VP of global employee benefits at VSP. "From a mental health perspective, we really saw virtual appointments for employees and dependents skyrocket, and we saw better engagement with things like blood pressure monitoring, or blood glucose monitoring. Being able to manage health from a digital device has been incredibly helpful."

Beginning in January 2020, VSP started partnering with Teladoc Health to provide its workforce with access to the Livongo platform, which provides smart-device-based management for chronic conditions, as well as the MyStrength app, which provides mental and behavioral health support. Since, 79% of VSP employees have maintained or improved blood pressure control; 60% of employees with an Hba1c of greater than 9% have seen improved control; and 64% of all VSP employees report increased confidence in managing their health. The building blocks of those results, Bettencourt says, are many. 

Ease of communication 
Over the past 15 years, Bettencourt says VSP has made great strides in the wellness space, successfully encouraging their employees to engage in healthcare with simple steps like annual physicals. But well before the pandemic, the benefits team started looking for ways to further support the VSP workforce. 

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The company's employee base in the U.S. is diverse and dynamic, ranging from desk-centric office workers who have the freedom to work remotely, to location-specific lab employees and distribution staff, for many of whom English is a second language. 

"Whatever solutions we offer needs to reach all of our employees where they are, and benefit them where they are," Bettencourt says. "We have employees that might not have access to a computer or a laptop, but pretty much everyone has access to a smartphone. So we were really looking for solutions that could be accessible that way and sync well with our medical providers across the country."

Teladoc Health's solutions provided that access, and enabled VSP to better position and present benefits information. A VSP intranet page offers comprehensive information on available benefits, and for essential in-person workers who don't spend the day in front of a screen, posters with easily-scanned QR codes guide employees directly to either the Livongo or MyStrength apps. 

Supporting the mind and body 
VSP knew its employees were not immune to prevalent chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. The Livongo by Teladoc Health platform helped VSP provide an easier way for its workers and their families to manage those conditions with ease.

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"We've heard from employees that, maybe they didn't monitor their diabetes before, but now, with access to finger sticks and strips that come right to their home, plus the ability to connect and chat with a health coach should they choose, they're managing their conditions more actively," she says. 

Of course, physical health and mental health often go hand-in-hand, and employees that may be trying to manage chronic conditions are often experiencing challenging stress levels as well. For Bettencourt, that only highlighted the need for a complementary mental and behavioral health solution. 

"For someone who's never dealt with diabetes and is trying to get it under control, they can easily feel stressed out," she says. "The MyStrength app just provided another avenue of support for employees — not just your EAP, but a digital solution that especially younger workers may engage with more, and have the opportunity to reach out and chat with someone. We're really working to remove that stigma around mental health and communicate that it's a medical condition." 

The future is digital
With the proven success of these virtual programs, Bettencourt says VSP will continue to look for new ways to increase access to care for its workforce — particularly around primary care — especially as employees continue to embrace remote work. 

"We've mainly been California-centric, but we have had employees moving all over the country over the last two years," she says. "As we look at our network of providers and the health plans we're utilizing, that virtual care has become even more critical." 

Read more: Is virtual care the key to better, more equitable health outcomes?

The ROI on these programs is significant, Bettencourt says. Aside from high engagement with these tools, pulse surveys conducted by VSP indicate that employees both appreciate the ease of use of these programs, and that they're able to access care wherever they are. 

It's helping the company send a message to future employees, too. VSP has created a benefits guide, again complete with easy-to-use QR codes, to help its recruiters simply explain available benefits to prospective employees. 

"Whether it's Teladoc or our volunteer days or adoption assistance, we've heard from the talent acquisition team that it really does help, in terms of recruiting, to show the candidate that as a company, we do care," she says. "That's one of our values, and this is one way we can show that to employees and their families."