Traditionally, treatments such as massage therapy, yoga classes, or even acupuncture, were rarely considered an important part of the wellness chain—and getting insurance providers or employers to pay for them as a preventative measure was difficult. In recent years, however, more understanding has emerged about the value of these types of wellness treatments, both in terms of injury prevention and claim avoidance.
In the first post of this series, I provided an example of a plumber and how AI was being applied to vast amounts of data in order to predict possible injuries. Within that example, there was a suggestion that data may show how plumbers who regularly practiced yoga showed less injury—and that both insurers and employers could benefit financially over the long term by paying for yoga memberships for their employees.
The case of the plumber is an example of how AI can improve the wellness chain. Whereas previously it was difficult to say with accuracy that a treatment such as massage therapy—or a yoga membership—actually helped prevent injury, by examining multiple sources and sets of data of multiple individuals with similar work profiles, AI has the potential to confirm that it does. By getting the data and applying it to the individual you are better able to provide wellness coaching, get him or her back to work more quickly and preventing the short-term ailment from turning into a long-term disability.
This is all part of improving the wellness chain. Whereas insurers are able to look at the health history of only a handful of individuals at a time, AI has the ability to examine thousands of profiles with similar backgrounds almost instantly. This ability strengthens the wellness chain from end to end by:
- Optimizing care management;
- Improving clinical health and risk indicators;
- Improving the quality of life of employees;
- Optimizing productivity; and
- Controlling healthcare and disability costs over the long term.
Employers and insurance providers who accept AI data learnings stand to benefit from potential cost-savings. Providers also benefit by positioning themselves as forward-thinking—their plans for preventative measures could differentiate them as the better choice for those seeking a provider. Shifting the focus to prevention of injuries rather than just providing compensation for them not only reduces the incidence and severity of claims but benefits everyone.
For my final post in this series, I will take a brief look at Accenture’s Integrate Patient Platform and how it applies AI to multiple sources of information to help create insurance solutions.
To read more about insurance practices and business transformation please visit my blog, where I have several posts exploring everything from data veracity and how it’s reshaping insurance to life insurance and the internet of thinking.
