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Digital Media & Film 56 Doing Business in Connecticut | 2014 Industry sPOtLIGHt › By Carol Latter F or years, health insurance companies have offered a number of free services to help customers manage their health issues, and fend off illness by taking better care of themselves. Now, major carriers like Hartford-based Aetna and Bloomfield-based Cigna are tapping into the enduring interest in video games and the explosive popularity of mo- bile devices to make it easier and more excit- ing for people to find ways to be healthier. Dialing for support Of course, it's not a new idea for insurers to help their customers get or stay healthy. In the past, companies like Cigna had telephone lines for customers to call and get coach- ing and support, according to Eric Herbek, Cigna's vice president of product solutions and consumer health engagement. "We found that, for some consumers, this was a great way to manage their health care, but it may not have been suitable for everyone," Herbek said. "So we began looking at how to get consum- ers to better engage in managing their health." Enter "gamification." In a 2012 article, e New York Times described gamification as a business trend "that aims to infuse oth- erwise mundane activities with the excite- ment and instant feedback of video games." Cigna began by partnering with Audax Health to develop a "gamified" health assess- ment tool, available through a computer or mobile device, to gauge the health status of its employees and their families. e tool, Herbek explained, offers users a more visual experience, and allows them to earn points that can be converted, in partnership with Cigna, to benefits in health care programs. "We turned something that traditionally was cold and clinical into something that was fun. It's been very successful. We've seen improvements in engagement across the board" — and not just with young people, traditional fans of video games, he said. "Customers were able to complete it much faster. We also saw much higher completion rates. ere was something about the fun, visu- al interface that got people more excited about completing the assessment," Herbek added. Cigna piloted the tool in 2013 with two large, national employers — one in technol- ogy and one in the health industry — and rolled it out to 1.5 million customers in 2014. e company also developed a mobile app and a new web initiative, GO YOU, at goyou. cigna.com. Aer signing in, users can down- load Cigna-curated apps that are recommend- ed to them based on their member profiles. Healthy acquisition Cigna is not the only insurer to have great success with the gamification approach. For almost three years, Aetna has been "focused on making health care and health care information more accessible," said Martha Wofford, vice pres- ident and head of Aetna's consumer platform. Aetna looked at the mobile app market- place with the goal of identifying the most useful health applications. It acquired iTriage, an app that allows people to check their symptoms; identify associated conditions; conduct research on treatment options, costs and possible compli- cations; get information about medications; find physicians; make appointments or find out the wait times; get directions; and manage personal health records — all from a smartphone or tablet. "It's a neat, easy-to-use tool to help people find care that meets their needs," Wofford said. She said that while iTriage had two mil- lion users at the time Aetna acquired it, that number has grown to 10 million, making it Insurance & Financial Services Staying Healthy: Turns out there's an app for that made in Connecticut Carepass.com was launched by Hartford-based Aetna in 2013 to help consumers connect various apps and other health data so that the information is combined in one place. The site is open to the public, not just Aetna members. PHOTO/COURTESY Continued on page 58 >