Josh: Raju, we are very excited to have the opportunity to learn more about your story and connection to Hive Wellness powered by SAANS AiQ. Thank you for being here with us today. To start, what does whole-person wellness mean to you?
Raju: Thank you for the opportunity to be here! In my opinion, whole-person wellness describes a scenario in which all systems are collaborating in the most efficient and optimized way. This can apply at a micro level to a singular individual in the way that the various body systems work together, but it can also apply to the entire system that supports an individual from a provider and healthcare point of view. In our quest to improve the entire system, SAANS AiQ uses available data to make informed healthcare decisions for the consumer, provider, and health system by focusing on prevention. By reframing healthcare to focus on prevention, we can predict, prevent, and manage care in a cost-effective, patient-centric, and evidence-based way.
Josh: Thank you! So, what exactly is Hive Wellness, and how is it related to whole-person wellness?
Raju: Hive Wellness is a multifaceted, intelligent tool that provides customized insights to improve health outcomes and reduce costs. Based on millions of individuals and logarithmically more lines of claims data, this augmented intelligence tool can predict when people will be diagnosed with chronic diseases; empower patients, providers, and administrators to prevent disease development; and advocate for customized care to manage disease.
Equally important, this intelligent tool automates reporting for a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time. It provides more data and a more user-friendly experience that allows brokers and employers, together, to make informed decisions.
Josh: Impressive! Who is the end user for Hive Wellness?
Raju: Right now, Hive Wellness powered by SAANS AiQ is built to be used by health insurance brokers. Employers look to health insurance brokers as subject matter experts and entrust them to coordinate and manage networks and benefits. As a result, our intelligent tool and reporting shows not only utilization rates of healthcare services and benefits, but also provides insights to help the broker look around the corner. In summary, Hive Wellness powered by SAANS AiQ insights empower brokers with more information in an affordable and user-friendly manner that leads to lower-cost customized experiences for employers.
Josh: What might be unintended or secondary effects of Hive Wellness on the healthcare system?
Raju: I imagine there will be a cascade of positive effects that, ultimately, will lead to more affordable and better health outcomes. The current healthcare system is broken and needs to be rebuilt in a way that incentivizes preventive care. Unfortunately, it’s in a positive feedback loop of ever-increasing costs that doesn’t support whole-person wellness and precision care, despite the strong evidence supporting such an approach.
Brokers are well-positioned to serve as catalysts for the needed systemic change. Hive Wellness aligns the economics with the scientific evidence – empowering brokers to be more strategic partners to their clients, saving them money, and ultimately enabling more people to lead healthier and longer lives.
Josh: How did you get into the healthcare space? Has healthcare always been your calling?
Raju: Well, no – I am a late-comer into this arena. I have a strong background in data analytics and business, having held senior management positions at global conglomerates and founding my own companies. It was actually a personal encounter that recalibrated my internal compass and set me on this course to use data to fix our broken healthcare system. I experienced, firsthand, many of the shortcomings of our current system when my daughter was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. I saw an opportunity to improve the experience for my daughter and so many others and decided to use my background to affect change in the healthcare industry.
Josh: If there was one thing that you would want a broker to know about Hive Wellness, what would it be?
Raju: We are standing on the precipice of change with the opportunity to revolutionize healthcare. Using data, we can provide better care, earlier, by mitigating disease development and the associated high costs. We can predict and prevent disease onset while more effectively managing chronic disease.
This data-driven change is inevitable – it is only a question of time. As a broker, employing augmented intelligence can be a great tool to differentiate yourself in the market. We’ve seen that this intelligent, data-driven approach can be groundbreaking in the industry – it allows brokers to be leaders in the field, adds value to clients, and ultimately, improves the lives of millions.