Teamsters proves prevention is possible when care is convenient
Color’s innovative model delivers trusted, actionable health results, drives member participation in preventive care, and significantly reduces expensive health plan spend.
With Color, Teamsters provided a new healthcare model that worked for members where and when they needed it:
4x
Higher utilization with Color versus average utilization in Teamsters wellness programs
74%
Of participants had a cardiometabolic result that warranted additional testing or fell outside the recommended range
86%
Of those participants visited or scheduled an appointment with a healthcare provider since receiving their results
50%
Lower cost on average per participant compared to traditional care models
It’s a win-win situation because from a Fund perspective, you’re looking at catching something early. So, you’re looking at savings there. And from a member’s perspective, you’re looking at catching something early and increasing your survival rate.
The challenge
Teamsters Health & Welfare Fund of Philadelphia and Vicinity’s motto is, “We hold the hands of every one of our members.” With thousands of members and dependents, keeping that promise is not only a point of great pride, but also one that comes with great challenges.
This population of truck drivers, warehouse workers, truck loaders, and unloaders represents a range of different needs. Many members live their lives on the road, making regular wellness visits difficult to fulfill–20% of members surveyed had not visited a doctor in the past year. This lifestyle can often lead to major health problems over time, and with a widely dispersed network of members who are always on the road, raising awareness and driving engagement with the Fund’s many benefits is no small task.
While the teamsters offered a traditional preventive screening program, they were seeking one that met the unique needs of union members and their families. Their solution needed to be convenient, comprehensive, and drive impact in key areas, such as:
- Manage healthcare costs by identifying high-cost health risks and conditions not previously diagnosed or being poorly managed
- Make preventive care more convenient so it fits member’s unique schedules
- Hold members hands through the care journey to help them better manage actionable cardiometabolic conditions, chronic issues, and cancer
- Connect and help route members to existing health benefits and disease management programs so the Fund gets the most out of the programs they have already invested in
The solution
Maria Scheeler, Administrator and Executive Director of Teamsters Health & Welfare Fund, discovered Color through one of the Fund’s existing partners and felt it was a great fit for Teamsters’ prevention-focused approach. The Teamsters had already seen significant results (such as early cancer detection from a number of members) through Color’s at-home genetic testing program – used to identify hereditary risk for cancer and heart disease over the past few years. They decided to expand their offering with Color Essential Care to help manage healthcare costs associated with cardiometabolic conditions and chronic issues including diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
Essential Care provided a more complete view of each member’s health risk and offered Teamsters a way to connect its members to specific care or point solutions available to them through their existing health benefits to help diagnose, manage, and treat conditions.
To deploy the program at scale, Color and Teamsters partnered to:
01
Drive member awareness about Color through education and communications materials, including postcards, emails, incentive programs, and health fairs.
02
Educate members about the program and how convenient and easy it is to complete Color tests in the comfort of their home or while on the road.
03
Provide each participant with a digital health report of their results. If results are abnormal, a clinician reaches out to discuss actionable next steps based on their risk for certain cardiometabolic, cancer and other select chronic conditions.
04
Help individuals with high-risk results schedule appointments with their PCP or enroll in covered benefits and disease management programs
to take better control of their health.
We chose Color because they align with our company culture of taking something complex and making it simple. We love how Color took complex topics and simplified them so everyone can appreciate their value
The results
Since the Teamsters launched the program to 10,000+ eligible members and their spouses, 4x more members are engaging with healthcare services and more undiagnosed conditions are being identified.
With Color, the Teamsters are making a positive impact on their member’s health and have a simple way to manage healthcare spending.
Great participant experience
92% of participants said they would use the Essential Care program again, and 89% said they received valuable information about their health.
Identifying undermanaged and underdiagnosed conditions
66% of participants who tested at a high-risk of diabetes or pre-diabetes were not aware of it, while 23% of patients with known high cholesterol were not taking medication.
Driving the right follow-up care and outcomes
86% of participants visited or scheduled an appointment with their healthcare provider after receiving their results.
I absolutely feel Color should be a core part of healthcare benefits, because I believe it provides a powerful tool for not only the Teamsters Fund, but also for the members.
About Color
Color is a complete platform for healthcare delivery, providing the technology, infrastructure, and logistics required to distribute large-scale health initiatives to diverse populations. Color works with businesses, public health departments, schools, communities, and more to provide equitable, accessible healthcare services.
Color was founded in 2013 and is offered as a benefit to employees at over 100 organizations worldwide including: Salesforce, Cisco, Blue Diamond Growers, and Foster Farms.
Additional Case Studies
SAP
“We want to empower our employees to treat disease before they get it…if you can put a program like Color’s in place and get people to participate, you’ll see ROI.”
Friendship Christian Center + Third Baptist Church
40% of those offered HIV testing opted in with 200+ participants tested in one week
Allegheny County
In the first 6 months of running this program, ACHD and Color screened over 1700 residents, and nearly 700 kits were ordered.
