UnitedHealthcare and Qualcomm, through its subsidiary Qualcomm Life, have integrated wearable devices from Samsung and Garmin, into UnitedHealthcare Motion. UnitedHealthcare Motion is a national US wellness program that provides eligible plan participants access to activity trackers and enables them to earn more than US$1,000 per year by meeting certain daily walking goals.
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro and Gear Sport, and the Garmin vívosmart 3, have been integrated and validated with Qualcomm Life’s 2net platform for ‘medical-grade connectivity that features multiple safeguards to help keep data secure’. UnitedHealthcare Motion participants who already own one of these devices may be able to use them with the program.
UnitedHealthcare Motion is available to US employers with self-funded and fully insured health plans nationwide. The program enables employees to earn up to US$4 per day in financial incentives based on achieving F.I.T. goals:
- Frequency: complete 500 steps within seven minutes six times per day, at least an hour apart;
- Intensity: complete 3,000 steps within 30 minutes; and
- Tenacity: complete 10,000 total steps each day.
The integrated activity trackers, which are available to plan participants at no additional charge, or through upgrade options that enable people to purchase leading activity trackers at preferred prices, have been customized to enable users to see on their wrists how they are tracking against the program’s three daily F.I.T. goals. (Research reportedly shows that people who consistently achieve the F.I.T. goals tend to improve their health and reduce their medical expenses.)
All the activity trackers are available to people via a dedicated website that offers device options, including previously available activity trackers from Fitbit and Striiv.
“The enhancements to UnitedHealthcare Motion enable the program to offer companies and their employees more digital health and wellness resources that are personalized, connected and intuitive,” said Sam Ho, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of UnitedHealthcare. “We are expanding the portfolio of available devices to make UnitedHealthcare Motion more flexible, convenient and consumer friendly.”
“This program highlights the value of combing UnitedHealthcare’s pro-consumer benefit designs with Qualcomm Life’s expertise in providing seamless connectivity across a growing ecosystem of wearable devices to help people pursue their health and wellness goals,” said James Mault, M.D., F.A.C.S., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Qualcomm Life.
“Studies have shown walking can be an effective way to help improve well-being and reduce medical costs, and we are seeing how UnitedHealthcare Motion helps people take charge of their health.”
