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Manulife has announced big developments – both upcoming and ongoing – for its group benefits business.
According to a company release, the insurer is launching its Vitality program this July. Manulife’s Vitality program utilizes the latest technology, data analytics, and personalized solutions to help customers track their healthy activities – earning points that can be traded in for rewards and discounts. Manulife has even signed a pledge with Vitality and other global leaders, with the goal of making 100 million people around the world become more active by 2025.
Manulife has also unveiled a new, two-step opioid management program. Designed to address Canada’s opioid crisis, the program focuses on prevention and early intervention. The first step of the program ensures patients start opioid treatment with a short-term supply, while step two encourages the use of short-acting opioids first. The steps ensure that the side effects, risk tolerance, and drug dependence of patients gets monitored earlier and hopefully reduces the risk of chronic use.
The insurance company has also been working on a pilot program involving genetic testing. Citing a study which found that as many as 50% of medications go unused due to unpleasant adverse effects, Manulife is exploring the connection between genes and how they affect the body’s response to medications.
Preliminary results of the program found that 51% of prescriptions were changed (whether it’s the dosage or the medication itself) following genetic testing. Manulife will continue its pilot in the hopes of helping more people.
The release also revealed that Manulife is collaborating with Akira Health to make healthcare more accessible to group benefits customers, via a new “Healthcare Online” service.
