Health New England Partners with Wellth to Give its BeHealthy Partnership ACO Members New Tools to Build Healthy Habits and Improve Outcomes

Innovative member engagement solution with proven track record incentivizes members to adhere to treatment plans

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Health New England, the regional not-for-profit health plan serving western Massachusetts with commercial, Medicare and Medicaid plans, today announced a partnership with Wellth, the leading science-backed behavioral change solution that empowers members to prioritize their health and manage chronic conditions. The collaboration will help BeHealthy Partnership (Health New England's Medicaid ACO) plan members build lasting healthy habits, strengthen treatment plan adherence, and reduce unnecessary health care costs.

BeHealthy Partnership plan members will gain access to Wellth's customized and easy-to-use digital health solution, which rewards members for taking daily steps toward improving their well-being. Wellth's personalized and human-centric approach to member engagement has demonstrated powerful results for plans across the country, including an unprecedented 91% daily user engagement rate.

By combining Health New England's on-the-ground presence and commitment to compassionate service with Wellth's innovative and effective solution, the partnership will work to close gaps in care, tackle high-risk health issues and provide BeHealthy Partnership members with a greater sense of control and personal investment in their treatment plans.

Dr. Chrystal Wittcopp, Health New England's Medicaid Medical Director, said, "Member engagement is one of the most critical drivers of a plan's success, yet results from legacy approaches to this challenge tend to be short-lived. By collaborating with Wellth, Health New England is reaching out to our BeHealthy Partnership members in a new way that prioritizes their personal needs, incentivizes them to take an active role in their care, and drives effective results for members with multiple chronic conditions and others. Together, we will help our members build healthy long-term habits that will improve treatment outcomes, reduce costs, and strengthen our connection with our valued members even further."

Wellth incentivizes members to take consistent steps toward building healthy habits through meaningful daily interactions. By checking in on the company's app to demonstrate that they are following their treatment plans, members can earn up to $360 annually, helping them pay for crucial items like food, transportation and other necessities.

Wellth CEO and Co-Founder Matt Loper said, "With Medicaid plans across the country facing significant uncertainty in funding for 2024 and beyond, containing costs and managing utilization rates remain top priorities for the plans we serve. A plan's ability to connect with and motivate hard-to-reach member populations is a vital factor in not only achieving these goals, but also in driving quality outcomes, building member satisfaction and supporting the health of its community. Wellth is proud to partner with Health New England to help its BeHealthy Partnership members follow their daily care plans to improve their quality of life and develop lifelong sustainable behaviors. Supporting members while reducing costs for health plans is a win for everyone."

Wellth leverages insights from the more than 20 million daily interactions its solution has generated across all demographics and age groups to develop behavior change programs that are personalized for users' needs and treatment plans. By basing its approach on behavioral science principles like the endowment effect and loss aversion ? and incorporating machine learning to optimize behaviors and progress ? Wellth's solution is delivering groundbreaking results for health plans including:

• 42% average reduction in inpatient utilization;
• 29% average reduction in Emergency Department (ED) utilization; and
• 16% improvement to medication adherence.

About Health New England
Based in Springfield, Massachusetts, Health New England is a not-for-profit health plan serving members in Massachusetts and Connecticut. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Baystate Health, Health New England offers a range of health care plans in the commercial, Medicaid and Medicare markets. For more information, visit healthnewengland.org.

About BeHealthy Partnership
The BeHealthy Partnership plan is a MassHealth accountable care partnership plan option. The BeHealthy Partnership is made up of the Baystate Health Care Alliance, which is an accountable care organization (ACO), and Health New England, which is the Managed Care Entity (MCE) for the plan. The BeHealthy Partnership includes primary care providers who are based at Baystate Health health centers in Springfield, Massachusetts, and at Baystate Medical Practices primary care offices located in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Counties in Western Massachusetts. Learn more at behealthypartnership.org.

About Wellth
Wellth empowers people to prioritize their health, every day. Built on the science of behavioral economics, the Wellth platform generates lasting behavior change and positive health outcomes by motivating members to follow through on healthy behaviors. Each Wellth program provides an approachable and personalized experience, while rewarding daily progress and helping members build lifelong healthy habits. Wellth's powerful results are proven to close care gaps, improve quality measures and reduce costs?leading to better outcomes for our customers?AND our members. Learn more by visiting wellthapp.com.

Media Contacts
Chris Clemens
Nexios Communications Strategies
E:   [email protected]
M:  (801) 824-0032

Elzbieta Trzepacz
Corporate Communications Manager, Health New England
E:  [email protected]
P:  (413) 233-3178

SOURCE Wellth