According to a recent survey, only 4 percent of Americans fully understand basic healthcare related terms like deductible, copay, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum. And it’s not for lack of intelligence ― the antiquated and convoluted state of our healthcare system does no one any favors.
When our health is on the line, we need to do better, and that’s where HealthJoy comes in. We spoke to three HealthJoy team members about how their company culture empowers them to make a difference in people’s lives.
FOUNDED: 2014
EMPLOYEES: 150; 50 locally
WHAT THEY DO: As a fully integrated guidance healthcare platform, HealthJoy helps employees make better healthcare decisions by integrating with their company's existing benefits. Their platform and user-friendly app bring together medical professionals, advocates and prescription savings to ensure employees are informed of how to best make user of their employee-sponsored healthcare benefits.
WHERE THEY DO IT: Chicago
NO MORE STATUS QUO: The founding team members, for the most part, don’t come from healthcare backgrounds. This has given them a unique vantage point from which to develop technologies that can solve the problems of a notoriously opaque and complex industry.
Scott Murdoch, Director of Data Science
Scott uses data science to improve scalability, reduce errors and inefficiency. This, in turn, enhances the experience for both their members and clients.
How was your transition going from a large company to a startup?
The transition from corporate America to a startup was enjoyable for me. The flexibility and reach available as an oncoming head of data science are vast. I loved that — I can see opportunities streamline practices throughout the company, and it has been a great opportunity.
Anytime a smaller company goes to market, they need to prove their worth. For us, the healthcare industry is complex and lends itself to opaque decision making. HealthJoy helps make those decisions easier for consumers.
Part of making things easier revolves around your extensive use of data. Can you talk to us about some of the ways you are using data internally to improve the user experience?
We built something that we call the ‘magic’ eligibility tool internally. This tool is a web app that allows our eligibility team to merge files from multiple sources without having to understand how to link the files. It makes it simple and easy for a user to take information from multiple sources and take only the relevant information into one file to launch a company’s employees. From a productivity point of view, this saves us time on a per-client basis from about one day of work to about 45 minutes. This was a massive scalability win for us.
For us, the healthcare industry is complex and lends itself to opaque decision making. HealthJoy helps make those decisions easier for consumers.”
When dealing with such vast data sets, how do you keep in mind you’re dealing with actual people?
It is helpful to remember data is different from statistics — data infers statistics. Data in our case is the user experience, which tells us the story about our member's journey. Using statistics can help us understand what our users find most valuable and what we as a company are doing better.
Sarah Hutcheson, Customer Success Manager
Sarah manages the experience of the companies who sign up with HealthJoy and makes sure they all get exceptional service.
MARATHON MINDSET: Sarah is training for her first Chicago Marathon this year. The discipline and goal of training for something new brings a consistent dose of self-worth that she finds is crucial for personal and professional growth.
Let’s talk big picture. What made you want to join HealthJoy?
As soon as I saw the pizza DJ cat pillow, I knew I’d found a home in HealthJoy — you’ll get it as soon as you see it! But really, I love when technology can be used to improve someone’s well-being and, as soon as I tested the app and met the people, it was a no-brainer for me.
Our company is a technology platform and service that I know can have an incredibly positive impact on a lot of lives.”
Any pizza DJ cat pillow is sure to win hearts. What else about the company inspires you?
HealthJoy empowers people to utilize their health coverage easily and understand the rest of the benefits their employer has given a lot of thought to offer. This results in a healthier, appreciative and more productive life.
Our company is a technology platform and service that I know can have an incredibly positive impact on a lot of lives. Trying to understand and access appropriate healthcare is daunting to most people, but it’s something I care about on a deeply personal level.
We understand you are a huge believer in the idea that work and fun do not need to be mutually exclusive. How do you go about having fun at your job?
We all have a lot on our plates at this stage of the company, but I love taking time to connect personally with as many of my coworkers as possible. When you remember each person has a unique background, interests and life outside of work, it keeps things in perspective. I like to be vulnerable with my quirkiness, hoping it allows other people to be themselves too. Maintaining a sense of humor is essential.
Angelique Williams, Patient Healthcare Advocate
Angelique reviews healthcare statements for billing and coding accuracy based on the members benefit plan description. She also quotes healthcare benefits, assists members with the appeals process, and does so much more to assist HealthJoy members.
BEYOND WORK: Angelique finds indoor cycling to be invigorating, challenging and fun. She brings the same energy to her team and is always encouraging them to push forward and find their second wind.
The company has grown quite a bit since you joined a year and a half ago. What has it been like to experience that growth?
It has honestly been an exhilarating experience. This is the first time I have ever worked for a startup, and like anyone, I had my reservations. I quickly found out that HealthJoy is comprised of an awesome group of individuals who pride themselves on being honest, transparent and real. This has made the ups and downs of our growth tolerable, educating and impressive.
You’ve had a long and varied career in the healthcare industry. What is HealthJoy doing differently to help fix what many consider to be a broken system?
HealthJoy is providing our members with an easier way to navigate through the frustrating aspects of healthcare. In today’s world, most people have a difficult time balancing work and life. HealthJoy helps to take the edge off of by doing the things our members don’t want or have time to do. We are simplifying a system that is very complex and difficult for most to understand.
I quickly found out that HealthJoy is comprised of an awesome group of individuals who pride themselves on being honest, transparent and real.”
Can you walk us through an example of HealthJoy in action?
One of my favorite stories is about a member who was having issues getting his claims paid because he was over 65 but still employed. He had not elected to be on Medicare Part B yet. Due to a discrepancy regarding his eligibility, his claims were only being paid at 20 percent because his primary carrier believed he had Medicare Part B.
After several conference calls between HealthJoy, the member, Medicare and his employer, we were able to assist our member with writing an appeal letter, which overturned the original claim denials. This action saved our members thousands of dollars because all of his claims had negatively been affected by the Medicare eligibility concern.
