Client Forum 2025: How Employers Are Taking Health Forward

It’s that time of year again! Premise Health hosted its ninth Client Forum on April 2-4, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference brought hundreds of leaders to Music City for networking opportunities, thought leadership discussions, and fun-filled events unique to Nashville.  

Taking Health Forward was the theme of this year’s Premise Health Client Forum. Here are five key takeaways from the event that organizations can put into practice when it comes to their approach to employee health and wellbeing.   

Takeaway #1: Make care easily accessible for your people. 

Healthcare is complicated, but benefits don’t have to be. By 2036, it is estimated the U.S. will be short 72,000 family medicine and internal medicine physicians. In response to this trend, many benefits leaders are working to make primary care convenient for their people. That means same-day appointments, minimal wait times, virtual care, and more. As one leader said at Client Forum: “Better access and better health outcomes will equal better results.”  

During the event, we heard from many organizations who shared their approaches to meeting people where they are and removing barriers to high-quality healthcare. One auto manufacturer utilized claims data to reveal their highest plan spend was on orthopedic surgeries and behavioral health hospitalizations, so they decided to bring occupational health and behavioral health care onsite for their employees. This Premise client noted the difference in health outcomes: “The quality of employees’ lives has greatly improved. They’re not lost in the healthcare system. They’re part of a holistic system that wraps around them for support. This is translated into deeper loyalty to the company.” 

The takeaway? No matter the size of your organization, the first step to better health is better access to care.   

Takeaway #2: Consider the member experience.  

Gone are the days of “build it and they will come.” Instead, leaders in several sessions shared that successfully driving members to the doctor requires a layered approach. It may sound simple, but employers need to tell pre-engaged members about their benefits. And don’t just remind them once – remind them again and again!  

Improving the member experience is critical to increasing engagement and utilization of your health center. Don’t rely on a single tactic or method to get members through your physical or virtual wellness center door. Consider a marketing strategy with frequent, cadenced touchpoints to keep your wellness center top of mind for all. Some components that prove successful include monthly awareness emails, mailers, collateral, and a microsite.  

“It’s about accompanying the patient through their journey – not just their medical care,” explained one leader at an organization known for prioritizing the experience of its employees. She shared that improving health means connecting with employees in many different ways and empowering them to take charge of their wellbeing.

Takeaway #3: Integrate data to improve health outcomes.  

More organizations are turning to claims data to help them better understand where care gaps exist and how they can fix them. Population health data gives you a broad view of your people’s needs. This is especially true for high-risk, high-cost members, as claims data lets you take a closer look at this population to see what conditions they are experiencing or potentially at-risk for. With secure access to this information, both data analysts and providers can work together to proactively engage members and encourage them to visit their wellness center to keep their health in check.  

In one breakout session, a Premise client shared they increased member attribution by 64% by leveraging their claims data to engage in data-driven outreach campaigns. Digging into their data also helped them see a 36% reduction in emergency room visits, a 43% reduction in inpatient hospital admissions, and a 28% increase in routine and preventive office visits. This same client noted in a breakout session, “Data isn’t the answer – but it can help get you to the answers. It’s a starting place.” 

Takeaway #4: Cater healthcare to your population.  

Reaching members who need care the most was also a focus area at Client Forum. Six in 10 Americans have at least one chronic disease, while four in 10 have two or more chronic conditions. Many organizations are reckoning with increased diabetes, obesity, behavioral health, and hypertension diagnoses among their employee populations.  

For one organization with increased diabetes and hypertension diagnoses in their employee population, a provider remarked that addressing the rising need is about integrating care. He said, “How do we make it easy for people? How do we make them feel supported in their care journey? We have the philosophy of ‘right care at the right time.’ For us, it’s about taking the barriers away.” To help overcome these barriers, this organization implemented a diabetes education program into their benefits package.  

Several clients shared that offerings such as care management are helping their high-cost and high-risk individuals – typically those with chronic conditions – with personalized health plans. “Care managers are really an extension of our providers,” explained one organization that offers a care management program. In the program, Premise care managers work with members directly to design tailored strategies to help them manage their health. These data-driven “care roadmaps” are completely customized to members’ needs, making it an experience that is personal and effective when it comes to managing chronic conditions or comorbidities. This results in happier employees – and employers.  

Takeaway #5: Turn your attention to alternative health plans. 

Healthcare is becoming unaffordable for many Americans. One way to avoid the fee-for-service model and make care more affordable is by encouraging people to prioritize primary care. Research shows this approach results in lower costs and better outcomes. As a result, an increasing number of employers are turning toward alternative health plans. “Employers need a model that prioritizes proactive care, controls costs, and simplifies healthcare for employees and dependents,” noted Ashok Subramanian, founder and CEO of Centivo, an innovative health plan for self-funded employers. “[There is] radical affordability for the American worker by investing in primary care.” 

Premise recently announced a partnership with Centivo to offer a primary-care centered health plan in 2026 that is built around an advanced primary care model. Several sessions at Client Forum discussed this exciting new partnership and shared more about the benefits of alternative health plans. When they are centered around healthcare models that prioritize preventive care, alternative health plans get more people in to see their primary care provider with free primary care visits, include low or $0 copays for specialty care to make care more affordable for members, improve employee health, and lower organizational costs.  

Subramanian addressed the incentives for the employee: “The magic bullet is you get more value when you build it into the health plan. You now have the carrot of great experience and value.”  

He added, “Constantly putting the advanced primary care model as the heart of the healthcare experience is something we’re unapologetic for.”  

Interested in learning how Premise can partner with you to help your organization improve costs and employee health outcomes? Get in touch today.