Anthem Accelerates Digital Transformation with Key Hire from Google, Files IPO Prospectus

On October 30, 2018, VCBeat (WeChat ID: VCbeat) learned from foreign media that Udi Manber, former Vice President of Engineering for Google’s search product suite, had been appointed by health insurer Anthem (NYSE: ANTM) as the head of its AI team. Before joining Google in 2006, Manber served as Chief Scientist at Yahoo and Senior Vice President at Amazon, and was one of the earliest leads of Yahoo’s CAPTCHA project. In 2015, Manber left Google to establish a research and development center in the Bay Area under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Manber stated that improving access to medical knowledge would have a significant impact on healthcare services. Manber is Anthem’s first data scientist responsible for leading its AI team.

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Like other traditional insurers, Anthem is actively advancing its modernization efforts. Its peer, UnitedHealth, is hiring large numbers of data scientists, while Alphabet-backed health insurance startups such as Devoted Health and Oscar Health are ushering in a new era for the health insurance industry by leveraging data tracking tools, analytics platforms, and user-friendly apps.

In May 2016, Anthem partnered with the telehealth company American Well, becoming one of the early health insurers to engage in telehealth services.

In October 2017, Anthem partnered with Castlight Health to launch Engage, a new comprehensive digital health platform, across China. The platform features three core functionalities: First, it provides a single sign-on digital hub. As large health insurers typically collaborate with multiple healthcare providers, users can access services from various providers by logging into Engage. Second, Engage leverages machine learning and AI-driven analytics to engage with members (not just those with chronic conditions), identify potential healthcare needs, and recommend appropriate medical consultations and healthcare providers. Third, it offers web- and mobile-based search tools. Users can directly search for urgent care and primary care facilities through Engage, helping them reduce out-of-pocket expenses. Engage serves as both a physician tool and a health management tool, enabling telemedicine and nurse call functions, as well as tracking fitness center health programs. In July 2018, John Doyle, CEO of Castlight, stated that Anthem Engage was a highlight of the second quarter, with user acquisition costs doubling compared to the previous year.

In July 2018, Anthem announced that Anthem members with Samsung Galaxy devices could access American Well’s LiveHealth Online telehealth services through the Samsung Health app.

In the past, insurers assessed members’ health needs by reviewing their medical and health data. However, Jonna Kurucz, Vice President of Sales at Anthem, believes that this “rearview mirror” approach is no longer the best way to understand the healthcare needs of patients or consumers. At the 12th Annual Health 2.0 Fall Conference, Kurucz proposed that health plan providers should deliver more cost-effective medical services and offer more intuitive search results. To better collaborate with health plan providers, Anthem created a digital hub called BenefitHub. Users can directly log in to BenefitHub via their Anthem accounts to access medical information and resources. Additionally, users can link their Delta Dental (the largest dental insurance company in the United States), VSP Vision Care (a leading vision benefits provider), fertility specialist, and 401(k) retirement plan provider accounts.

Anthem (Wellpoint), founded in 1944 and headquartered in Indiana, USA, is a long-established leading health insurance company in the United States. Anthem is dedicated to providing high-quality products and services that enable patients and consumers to access the care they need. Since 2007, Anthem has continuously acquired healthcare companies, with more than ten such acquisitions to date. The largest known acquisition was its $54.2 billion purchase of Cigna in 2015. Additionally, Anthem collaborates with digital health partners to develop digital platforms aimed at reducing healthcare expenditures and enhancing members’ health insurance experiences.