Employee use of digital health services has rocketed by 79 percent year on year, according to L&G Retail.
In its latest ‘Chief Medical Officer report’, the provider said that added-value digital health services are now fundamental to their group income protection (GIP) benefits products.
The report found that 62 percent of employees who used L&G’s ‘virtual GP’ (vGP) said it helped them avoid taking time off work, while 57 percent who used ‘online physiotherapy’ while absent said they had been able to return to work faster.
The ‘structured counselling’ benefit, which is part of the employee assistance programme (EAP), was found to have contributed to a 29 percent decrease in presenteeism and a 21 percent drop in absenteeism.
Employees’ family members also use the digital health services, with research showing that 14 percent of vGP cases are for under 18s. Within this age group 7 percent are inquiries related to under 5s. L&G said that this take up among family members helps to minimise parental stress and the potential for employees to take time off work.
Tarun Gupta, chief medical officer, UK Protection at L&G Retail, said: “Improving health and wellbeing is at the heart of thriving businesses. Digital health solutions can transform the lives of employees and their loved ones while simultaneously empowering businesses to grow sustainably and productively.
He said that the CMO report explores the clear, demonstrable value digital health brings to organisations. However, realising this value requires collaboration.
“Insurers should use their expertise to evaluate the most effective, evidence-based digital tools. Intermediaries also play a vital role in helping their employer clients understand the impact of these services, ensuring they are embedded in both new business proposals and renewals.
“With the insights from this instalment of the CMO report and bespoke client data, employers can better integrate these services into their wellbeing strategies.”
The findings represent the first instalment of four from L&G’s ‘Chief Medical Officer report’. It includes fresh data from the provider’s partners Spectrum.Life and Teladoc Health.
