
Listen as we explore developments in the world of employee health and benefits. Entrepreneurs, CEOs and other thought leaders join us to discuss the technology and innovation that help employers purposefully design and distinguish their programs — all while addressing the needs and priorities of a new generation of talent.
We’re also tackling timely topics like COVID-19, the economy and other headline makers to deliver current thinking on the topics that matter most to employers and employees.
Cure for the Common Co. — Innovator interviews
- Episode 33: AndHealth: Reversing migraine and autoimmune conditions with behavioral and clinical care
- Episode 32: KardiaComplete: Making heart health personal through proactive technology and clinical support
- Episode 31: Joshin: Changing disability and neurodivergence support in the workplace
- Episode 30: Spring Health: Reimagining mental health solutions through data-backed care
- Episode 29: Brightline: Bringing pediatric mental health into focus
- Episode 28: Bind: A personalized health plan with clarity on price and quality
- Episode 27: Carrum Health: A new standard for centers of excellence
- Episode 26: Centering the health plan around primary care with Centivo
- Episode 25: Digestive Health Part 2: Oshi Health’s clinical, whole-person view
- Episode 24: Digestive Health Part 1: Vivante Health’s digital solution for gut health
- Episode 23: Democratizing access to cancer care with AccessHope
- Episode 22: How Dow Jones and US Foods deploy innovation
- Episode 21: Putting health care in employees’ hands (MediBid)
- Episode 20: Leveraging data to drive your employee benefits (Springbuk)
- Episode 19: Employer approaches to the burden of student loan repayment (Tuition.io)
- Episode 18: Health care transformation in a pandemic
- Episode 17: The role of resilience in employee wellbeing
- Episode 8: Noah Lang (Stride Health)
- Episode 7: Daniel Perez (Hinge Health)
- Episode 6: Sami Inkinen, MS, MBA (Virta)
- Episode 5: Sangeeta Agarawal, RN, MS (Helpsy)
- Episode 4: Andrew Le, MD (Buoy)
- Episode 3: Mette Dyhrberg (Mymee)
- Episode 2: Lindsay Jurist-Rosner (Wellthy)
- Episode 1: Peter Shalek (AbleTo, Joyable)
COVID-19 edition — Expert deep dives on the pandemic's impact on employee benefits
- Episode 16: Paid time off and paid leave during the crisis, COVID-19 edition
- Episode 15: Testing and contact tracing as part of your workplace strategy, COVID-19 edition
- Episode 14: The pandemic’s impact on behavioral health care and delivery, COVID-19 edition
- Episode 13: Chronic condition management for vulnerable populations, COVID-19 edition
- Episode 12: Re-imagining employee communications, COVID-19 edition
- Episode 11: Supporting employees in a work-from-home environment, COVID-19 edition
- Episode 10: In the trenches with employee benefits, COVID-19 edition
- Episode 9: The world of work in a pandemic reality, COVID-19 edition
About the host
Episode 33: AndHealth: Reversing migraine and autoimmune conditions with behavioral and clinical care
40 million people in the US suffer from chronic migraine, yet there are only 2,000 headache specialists to care for those living with this condition. In this episode, WTW’s Steve Blumenfield and Andre Burkholder speak with Matt Scantland about how AndHealth provides a new kind of specialized care, becoming the patient’s main health provider and addressing the root cause of the issue through clinical discovery, coaching, and support.
About our guests
“We guide the patient on a disease reversal journey. For migraine, that takes about 3 months. Over the course of those 3 months, on average, patients will reduce their migraine days by 80%.”Matt Scantland,Founder and CEO, AndHealth
Episode 32: KardiaComplete: Making heart health personal through proactive technology and clinical support
KardiaComplete is putting the spotlight on heart disease, the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. WTW’s Steve Blumenfield and Siupo Becker speak with Archana Dubey about how AliveCor is transforming cardiovascular care via KardiaComplete, a comprehensive heart health enterprise solution, designed to drive improved health outcomes and reduce the cost of cardiac care by addressing established disease and reducing the risk of disease progression.
About our guests
“One of the statistics that boggles my mind is that if we treat hypertension correctly, we can extend the lifespan of the general population by three years.”Archana Dubey,MD, Chief Clinical Officer, AliveCor
Episode 31: Joshin: Changing disability and neurodivergence support in the workplace
1 in 5 people worldwide have a neurodiverse diagnosis resulting in different ways of thinking, processing, and communicating, but 80% of product and customer experiences don’t work for people with these needs. WTW’s Steve Blumenfield and Rebecca Warnken sit down with Melissa Danielsen to discuss how Joshin is closing the gap for the neurodiverse and disabled communities through tech-enabled specialized care, support, and education.
About our guests
“People who are neurodivergent or disabled are critical to the success of a really strong culture and organization – we want to celebrate and protect that and make sure we’re really bringing a sense of belonging to these communities.”Melissa Danielsen,Co-founder and CEO, Joshin
Episode 30: Spring Health: Reimagining mental health solutions through data-backed care
What if the guesswork was taken out of the mental health care journey? With the continued rise of mental health conditions, there has never been a greater need for advancement in this space. WTW’s Steve Blumenfield and Erin Young talk with April Koh about how Spring Health is delivering a new approach to personalized psychiatry using data, and potentially revolutionizing access to quality mental health care as well as the effectiveness of treatment.
About our guests
“We’re trying to build the Google Maps of mental health care. What that means for us is real-time course correction, or real-time insights, or real-time optimization of a mental health care journey.”April Koh,Co-founder and CEO, Spring Health
Episode 29: Brightline: Bringing pediatric mental health into focus
Nearly one in five children in the U.S. have a mental, emotional or behavioral health problem in any given year, but only 20% are receiving care. Shortages in child and adolescent mental health care are severe, but Brightline is changing that. WTW’s Steve Blumenfield and Siupo Becker talk with co-founder and CEO Naomi Allen about how her company is helping employers support the children of parent-employees and, in turn, how that’s improving the wellbeing of employees.
About our guests
“What drives me literally every day is this idea that, at that moment, somebody is in Brightline and they see their child getting better versus all the months or maybe years that came before.”Naomi Allen,Co-founder and CEO, Brightline
Episode 28: Bind: A personalized health plan with clarity on price and quality
Is it possible to uncomplicate health insurance while providing savings for both employees and plan sponsors? In this episode, Steve Blumenfield and Regina Ihrke speak with Dave Dickey to uncover how Bind is providing an innovative and personalized solution that focuses on bringing cost and coverage transparency. This gives members the information they need, upfront, so they can efficiently purchase the care that best meets their needs.
About our guests
“Only 4% of Americans can accurately define ‘deductible’, ‘co-insurance’, and ‘co-insurance limit.’ So, Bind Benefits got rid of it.”Dave Dickey,Co-founder, Bind
Episode 27: Carrum Health: A new standard for centers of excellence
By looking at health care holistically as well as the practical side of price, Carrum Health has developed a Centers of Excellence solution that delivers value-based health care instead of the standard fee-for-service model. In this episode, Sach Jain talks with Steve Blumenfield and Drew Hodgson about Carrum’s mission to deliver a best-in-class network that employers can leverage to deliver better, more appropriate care at manageable prices.
About our guests
“Most employers don’t understand how big a problem surgical care is in the U.S. It’s a complete Wild West.”Sach Jain,Co-founder and CEO, Carrum Health
Episode 26: Centering the health plan around primary care with Centivo
Empowering employees to select their own health plan fosters an enhanced member experience. In this episode, Steve Blumenfield and Drew Hodgson talk with Ashok Subramanian about how Centivo, a primary care centric health plan innovator, is helping to change the health care delivery landscape by bringing high-quality, personalized and affordable care to members and employers. This model promotes better member engagement, thus positioning employers to remain competitive in the war for talent.
About our guests
“We’re focused on restoring health care affordability for members and employers, without compromising on quality.”Ashok Subramanian,CEO, Centivo
Episode 25: Digestive Health Part 2: Oshi Health’s clinical, whole-person view
What would you give up for one month of relief from a chronic condition? Digestive health sufferers’ top survey responses include cellphone, Internet … even sex! The discussion of digestive health and solutions continues in this podcast with Sam Holliday, Chantell Sell and Steve Blumenfield. The trio discuss Oshi Health, an end-to-end clinic-based care model that treats the whole person in a cost-effective way that serves employees, employers and boosts overall health and productivity.
About our guests
The two pieces really missing in a lot of gastrointestinal care are dietary and psychological interventions, and these have been proven to deliver better outcomes at a lower cost with a better experience.”Sam HollidayFounderOshi Health
Episode 24: Digestive Health Part 1: Vivante Health’s digital solution for gut health
A stigmatized condition, 70 million people suffer in silence from digestive health issues, resulting in an average of 35 lost workdays per person, every year. Steve Blumenfield and Christina Prosser talk with Bill Snyder about the approach Vivante Health is taking — leveraging clinical pathways rooted in evidence-based medicine — to balance employers’ health care costs while at the same time addressing employees’ symptoms and improving their overall health outcomes.
About our guests
We are definitely seeing more interest in digestive health among employers, especially when they hear and learn about the percentage of people who are impacted by these conditions.”Bill SnyderCEOVivante Health
Episode 23: Democratizing access to cancer care with AccessHope
Arguably, cancer is the scourge of our times. In this episode, Harlan Levine shares with Steve Blumenfield and Ron Fontanetta how AccessHope has democratized employee access to leading-edge cancer information and world-class care. By identifying the most complex patients and partnering with health plans, AccessHope’s program supports employers’ efforts for early intervention with high-risk employee patients who need the right care. Along with this podcast, you can learn more by listening to AccessHope’s on-demand webcast.
About our guests
“We’ve seen employers step up in ways that would make the employer community proud. And we look at employers not as customers, but as partners.”Harlan Levine,President of Strategy and Business Ventures, City of Hope; Board Chair, AccessHope
Episode 22: How Dow Jones and US Foods deploy innovation
“This is how we’ve always done it” doesn’t work anymore when it comes to offering employee benefits, and employers need to step up to increase employee engagement and get the most from their investment. In this episode, Steve Blumenfield talks with benefits leaders Kim Duck and Joe Toniolo about the ways they and their organizations are breaking away from traditional thinking around wellbeing and benefits to deliver programs that meet employees where they are.
About our guests
““Our philosophy is to meet employees where they are. It doesn’t matter what I think you need. It’s about where you are and what you need.”Kim Duck,Vice President, Benefits and Wellbeing, Dow Jones & Company
Episode 21: Putting health care in employees’ hands (MediBid)
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you applied normal business principles to the purchase of health care, wonder no more. Ralph Weber shares with Steve Blumenfield and Courtney Stubblefield the power that comes from combining transparency with competition in health care. From dramatically reduced out-of-pocket expenses to mitigating potentially higher-cost future procedures, you’ll hear how health care in the United States doesn’t have to be as complicated as it is today.
About our guests
“The economy works everywhere. And guess what? It works in medical care too. We’re finding that certain elements of the economy are working where nobody ever thought they would.”Ralph Weber,Founder and President, MediBid Inc.
Episode 20: Leveraging data to drive your employee benefits (Springbuk)
Instead of simply telling you your employee population’s health behaviors, what if your data went a step further and gave you targeted areas to focus your attention? Steve Blumenfield and Thi Montalvo talk with Rod Reasen about the possibilities for HR to leverage predictive analytics to drive data-driven decisions you make about your employee benefits and wellbeing programs. The trio discuss where data collection has been — and where it’s going.
About our guests
“A data warehouse gives you access to your data but doesn’t actually solve problems. We’ve built a software layer that serves as a healthy mix of CMO, data scientist and actuary.”Rod Reasen,Co-founder and CEO, Springbuk
Episode 19: Employer approaches to the burden of student loan repayment (Tuition.io)
On average, it takes 21 years to pay off student loan debt, and that has a direct effect on employees’ long-term financial goals. In this podcast, Steve Blumenfield talks with Scott Thompson, Lydia Jilek and David Amendola about the innovative steps employers are taking to help bolster employees’ financial wellbeing. Hear the struggles that both employers and employees are facing in trying to build financial resiliency, and the benefits of finding the right solution.
About our guests
“It’s unarguable: When you, the employer, offer a meaningful student loan benefit to the members of your workforce, in many cases you see significantly higher retention of those individuals participating in the benefit.”Scott Thompson,CEO, Tuition.io
Episode 18: Health care transformation in a pandemic
Given this year’s pandemic and economic uncertainty, it’s natural to expect a dip in venture capital investments in health care-related startups, but that hasn’t been the case. In fact, the first six months of 2020 revealed some of the highest investment levels. Venture capitalists Lynne Chou O’Keefe and Steve Kraus join Steve Blumenfield to discuss the future of health care and how they see it transforming to the benefit of both employees and employers.
About our guests
“We’re in the tailwind of the transformation of health care and, because of that, we’re seeing creativity of entrepreneurs and how the health care system has to be redefined and rebuilt.”Lynne Chou O’Keefe,Founder and Managing Partner of Define Ventures
Episode 17: The role of resilience in employee wellbeing
As organizations regain their footing from the COVID-19 pandemic, employees’ emotional wellbeing has become a focal point. meQuilibrium’s Jan Bruce talks with Willis Towers Watson’s Steve Blumenfield, Suzanne McAndrew and Julie Stone about the value of resilience in a time of uncertainty and the importance of helping employees cope with their stress and get control of their lives to be more successful — both at work and at home.
About our guests
“Resilience is not a personality type. There are learned skills that we can identify, measure and train. And those skills can be applied to workplace behavior and human behavior.”Jan Bruce,CEO and Co-founder, meQuilibrium
Episode 16: Paid time off and paid leave during the crisis, COVID-19 edition
COVID-19 forced employers to think about and make changes to paid leave, paid time off and disability programs and policies — employee benefits that haven’t changed very much in the past decade. Willis Towers Watson experts Alex Henry and Rob McGee talk with Steve Blumenfield and Julie Stone to address the challenges and opportunities employers must consider regarding these programs both today as well as for the future.
About our guests
“It’s possible that employers will create some programs related to special leave circumstances that will reflect the decisions they made in light of COVID-19.”Rob McGee, Northeast Lead Consultant for Absence,Disability Management and Life Insurance, Willis Towers Watson
Episode 15: Testing and contact tracing as part of your workplace strategy, COVID-19 edition
As employers move toward reopening the workplace, vendors in the testing and contact tracing space are emerging every day. Steve Blumenfield and Julie Stone talk with Paul Matthews about what employers should look for in testing options, which vendor offerings may be on the horizon, and the best way to manage the overall employee experience as workforces emerge from stay-at-home orders.
About our guests
“Testing, scanning, screening and potentially any tracing are all integral parts of a broader return-to-the-workplace strategy.”Paul Matthews, Managing Director, Health & Benefits Strategic Opportunities and Alliances, Willis Towers Watson
Episode 14: The pandemic’s impact on behavioral health care and delivery, COVID-19 edition
The pandemic, sheltering in place, social distancing, feelings of isolation: All have had an impact on the emotional and mental health of employees at every level of the organization. Willis Towers Watson’s Mandie Conforti and Steve Blumenfield talk about how employers can address what employees are feeling while working within the limits of the current behavioral health marketplace. Hear real-world examples and get ideas for how you can support the mental wellbeing of your talent.
About our guest
“Maybe the only positive that we’ve seen from COVID-19 is that it has pushed EAP and behavioral health vendors further toward digital offerings like never before.Mandi Conforti, LCSW,Director, Willis Towers Watson
Episode 13: Chronic condition management for vulnerable populations, COVID-19 edition
COVID-19 has added a new layer of vulnerability for employees and dependents who are managing chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and other health issues. Willis Towers Watson thought leaders Jan Wuorenma, Kara Speer, Julie Stone and host Steve Blumenfield discuss the specialized issues these populations face and share ideas about the support systems and tools employers can provide to help these populations keep their health issues in check.
About our guests
“A lot of the concerns we have as clinicians are that people are going to delay care because they’re concerned about COVID-19. We want to encourage everybody, please, do not delay care.”Jan Wuorenma, Senior Health Management Consultant,Health and Benefits, Willis Towers Watson
Episode 12: Re-imagining employee communications, COVID-19 edition
Whether your workforce is still primarily disbursed or you’re preparing to re-open your worksites, COVID-19 has created a new set of employee communications challenges that require a nuanced and targeted approach. Lindsay Stortz, Julie Stone and host Steve Blumenfield discuss innovative approaches you can take to ensure your messages reflect sensitivity and awareness of different employee populations’ needs. Also, hear how this crisis has created an opportunity to temporarily — or permanently — look at how you reach employees.
About our guests
“Right now, communication and engagement with people needs to be easy, mobile first and in ‘snackable bites’ of information.”Lindsay Stortz, Senior Director, Talent & Rewards, Willis Towers Watson
Episode 11: Supporting employees in a work-from-home environment, COVID-19 edition
The forced work-from-home environment that employers and employees are living in because of COVID-19 has taken the challenge of caregiving to a new level. In this episode, Willis Towers Watson thought leaders share their insights about child-care support, elder-care support and overarching family-care support. Get a more comprehensive understanding of the issues, learn how leadership can make an enormous difference for your people, and pick up some tips and tools to help those caring for others.
About our guests
“The role that leaders play is incredibly meaningful. Lead by example. Show that caregiving is something we all have in our lives in some shape or form.”Rachael McCann, Senior Director,Willis Towers Watson
Episode 10: In the trenches with employee benefits, COVID-19 edition
Marco Diaz talks with Mark Hope and Cure for the Common Co. host Steve Blumenfield about how News Corp’s employee benefits team has been managing — and succeeding — through COVID-19. Hear how a strong foundation of employee benefits has led to rapid adoption of telemedicine options, the ways that communication has improved at every level, and how News Corp is preparing to bring employees back to physical worksites by leveraging risk stratification.
About our guests
“We trusted our gut and we went forward. And now here’s the moment where we’re seeing the big payoff.”Marco Diaz, Senior Vice President,Global Head of Benefits, News Corp
Episode 9: The world of work in a pandemic reality, COVID-19 edition
Dr. Jeff Levin-Scherz and Julie Stone give listeners a crash course in COVID-19, what it means to employers and workers, and what to expect as people begin returning to the physical workplace. From scenario planning to addressing a new host of emotional and behavioral health needs, these two experts offer a variety of topics employers need to think about and begin planning for today in order to prepare for both the near- and long-term future.
About our guests
“Employers need to do a lot of scenario planning and consider many different things that could happen in the next couple of months.”Jeff Levin-Scherz, MD, Managing Director and co-leader of the North American Health Management practice
Episode 8: Noah Lang, Stride Health
Noah Lang tells the story behind the company he founded and leads today, Stride. He describes how the online tool and app helps the growing number of people working in the gig economy purchase health insurance, get federal subsidies and tax credits, and obtain other benefits usually provided to full-time employees such as dental, vision and life insurance.
About our guest
“We want your independent workforce to have an even better experience than a full-time employee.”Noah LangCEO and co-founder, Stride Health
Episode 7: Daniel Perez, Hinge Health
Dan Perez talks about how suffering from major injuries inspired both him and his business partner to found Hinge when they were PhD students at Oxford. He also explains the philosophy underpinning the company: To be effective long-term, musculoskeletal care must go beyond physical therapy to include coaching, patient education and behavioral health support. Otherwise initial results from physical therapy will evaporate over time, increasing the odds that surgery becomes necessary.
About our guest
“Our aim at Hinge Health is being somebody's co-pilot so that their health doesn't get into the way of their goals.”Daniel PerezCEO and co-founder, Hinge Health
Episode 6: Sami Inkinen, MS, MBA, Virta
Sami Inkinen tells the story behind the company he founded, Virta Health, a technology-enabled virtual clinic that can treat diabetes without medication. Sami trained as a physicist and started his career in a nuclear power plant. Despite being a world-class triathlete, he learned he was becoming pre-diabetic, setting him on a new journey, leading him to found Virta.
About our guest
“Virta gets patients off Type 2 diabetes drugs by not just optimizing the drug cocktail. We make the drugs unnecessary by eliminating the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes.”Sami Inkinen, MS, MBACEO and co-founder, Virta
Episode 5: Sangeeta Agarawal, RN, MS, Helpsy
Sangeeta tells the story of how her own health challenges led her change careers, from engineering to health care, ultimately leading to her founding Helpsy, a whole health and artificial intelligence cancer nurse that anticipates and addresses patients' physical, emotional and social needs.
About our guest
“Helpsy's goal is to empower people to know what to do by automatically creating a health care plan for them that addresses their physical, emotional and social needs.”Sangeeta Agarawal, RN, MSFounder and CEO, Helpsy
About our guest
Episode 4: Andrew Le, MD, Buoy
Andrew Le trained as a surgeon, but decided not to practice medicine because he wanted to help more people than he realized he could within the parameters of the way medicine is practiced today. So he started Buoy, an app that uses artificial intelligence, probability, statistics and machine learning to help those who realize they are ill to take the first step in getting care. The app helps people understand what is going on clinically and matches services and benefits to the individual's specific condition.
“Buoy interviews patients like a doctor. After a two- or three-minute interview, it narrows the world of diagnoses down to a max of three different matches, reasons for and against each…”Andrew Le, MDFounder and CEO, Buoy
Episode 3: Mette Dyhrberg, Mymee
Mette Dyhrberg tells the story of her personal journey that led her to found Mymee, a digital therapeutic that provides a platform for understanding the triggers that can set off the immune systems of those suffering from chronic illnesses. She explains how Mymee can be used to treat autoimmune diseases without medication.
About our guest
“Mymee is basically the IOS of autoimmune disease. We’re the one stop where you can come and have someone shepherd you through the diagnosis process…”Mette DyhrbergFounder and CEO, Mymee
About our guest
Episode 2: Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, Wellthy
Lindsay Jurist-Rosner discusses Wellthy, a care-giving company that helps those assisting aging, chronically ill or disabled loved ones by providing an advisor and technology platform for coordinating and managing day-to-day care. Lindsay tells a touching personal story of how caring for her mother inspired her to start Wellthy and shares common challenges caregivers face daily.
“We match families with a dedicated care coordinator who becomes that family’s partner, their personal professional healthcare project manager, almost the exact same way you would work with a financial advisor.”Lindsay Jurist-RosnerFounder and CEO, Wellthy
About our guest
Episode 1:Peter Shalek, AbleTo
Pete Shalek tells the story of how he founded Joyable, a behavioral health app that makes it simple to get support for mental health. The technology provides cognitive behavioral therapy, the most effective treatment today for anxiety and depression. Pete discusses the challenges and rewards of being a healthcare innovator as well as the inspiration behind Joyable, which was later acquired by AbleTo, a virtual behavioral health services provider.
“The founding mission of Joyable was really simple: How do we make it so that people who need help can get high quality behavioral health care?”Pete ShalekChief Product Officer, AbleTo and founder of Joyable























































