How Cleo can help support a healthier workforce and lower healthcare costs

Many people feel overwhelmed when it comes to managing their health. They may be tasked with navigating complex health benefits, coordinating with different providers, and making decisions about preventative care, often with little guidance. The result can be delayed care, increased health risks, and higher costs for everyone, including their employer.

While employers often focus on providing benefits, they sometimes miss a step in taking it further by encouraging and providing an environment in which employees can actually engage with their health benefits.. This healthcare issue has become increasingly more urgent as companies seek to improve employee wellbeing, drive better outcomes, and control costs.

Member activation = better outcomes

Activation of health benefits often depends on employees’ knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing their own health or effectively collaborating with their healthcare team. When organizations encourage and enable their workforce to engage with health resources and support, research has shown that such activation is strongly correlated with improved health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. However, many companies simply don’t have the tools to encourage activation and engagement, or have relied on internal campaigns with low return.

Until now.

A roadmap for engagement—and how Cleo provides it

When health engagement is proactive and personalized, the results are transformative. That’s where Cleo comes in. Our approach to member activation is not a one-size-fits-all solution; instead, it’s a personalized journey. We do this by:

• Identifying member needs: We use our Family Health IndexTM (FHI) assessment to get a deep understanding of each member’s unique needs and challenges.
• Providing coaching and navigational support: We guide members through their employer benefits, helping them understand and use their resources effectively.
• Encouraging preventative care: We proactively encourage members to engage in preventative care, helping them manage their health before issues arise.
• Fostering provider relationships: We help members build strong, collaborative relationships with their care providers, ensuring they have the support they need.

Measuring our impact with the Family Health Index™

Cleo’s Family Health Index™ (FHI) provides a data-driven view of a member’s wellbeing and measures improvement across seven key dimensions:

• Confidence: A member’s belief in their ability to plan for and care for their family and themselves.
• Caregiving Balance: Their ability to make time for themselves and manage the burden of caregiving.
• Self-Care: Their ability to prioritize their own health through sleep, physical activity, and healthy eating.
• General Health: Their self-reported health rating and trend over time.
• Emotional Wellness: A score from a validated depression and anxiety screener (PHQ-4).
• Connectedness: Their participation in social activities and feelings of loneliness.
• Family Support: Their sense of support from family members and collective resilience to adapt to change.

Our success comes from being able to use FHI results to track improvements in a member’s engagement and health—while also highlighting areas where extra support may be needed. This overall picture helps us provide interventions, resources, and support that ultimately lead to improved outcomes. Read more about FHI here →

Member activation is a smart health strategy

Healthcare costs aren’t just driven by individual conditions—they’re driven by the systems that either support, or fail to support, the people managing them. If an employee is too overwhelmed to book their own checkups or use their benefits effectively, the result can be avoidable urgent care visits, preventable hospitalizations, and higher cost interventions down the line.

When members are activated and supported, that picture changes. They’re more likely to stay engaged and get the care they need on time, reducing overall costs. Member activation is not just an act of good faith—it’s an evidence-based investment in your workforce and your bottom line.