Maven Clinic is a health platform that supports women and family health across various life stages. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is a health insurer with more than 5 million members across all 50 states.
A partnership between the two health-care entities seemed like a good idea, and since it was formed in May 2022, it has been beneficial to both.
“We saw incredible traction coming from a number of different health plans, and we had strong interest from employers in Michigan, as well, in bringing Maven on,” said Isha Vij, vice president of employer growth with Maven Clinic. “When we work with employers, we certainly like to understand the health plans that represent their employee population, and discussions with those health plans are often part of their origin story.
“When we launched (with BCBSM), we launched with all the fully insured population of BCBSM,” added Vij, an expert commercial operator focused on launching and scaling go-to-market teams at high-growth startups. “It’s been a really remarkable partnership. We’ve seen great traction on the programs BCBSM is offering to their membership.”
As Vij explained it, Maven – the world’s largest digital health platform for women and families – is a health platform that supports women and family health “across various life stages,” whether the client is an individual thinking about having a family for the first time, or an expecting parent, or the parent of a child or experiencing the symptoms of menopause.
Maven has more than 2,000 clients globally, and employers choose to work with Maven, according to Vij, to support their employee base who are navigating any or all of these life journeys.
“Maven acts as a one-stop shop for those individuals really who need support and resources on how to best navigate not only their health care journeys across these various life stages, but actually manage their physical and emotional well-being,” said Vij, who has been with Maven for more than two years.
Maven also has a “fantastic” relationship with health plans … across the nation. These health plans have noticed that, ultimately, Maven is “able to engage their members, being able to support a digital experience with a ton of human-centric care.”
“Ultimately, (Maven) delivers not only a best-in-cost member experience, but also really helps drive some incredible health outcomes related to starting and growing your family,” Vij said.
One of the highlights of Maven’s program is the access it gives patients to individual care advocates. It’s one of the first interactions new members have with the Maven team.
“Members describe it as getting a ‘fairy godmother,’” said Vij, a first-generation immigrant from India who holds an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. “(The care advocate) is the person who gets to know them – what are their needs, where are they in their family journey? They work to get to know the individual on a personal level … and help create a care team that can help the members figure out the best path forward.”
That care team – reproductive endochronologist, ObGyn, etc. – then works with individuals to get them on their way to these various journeys, Vij explained.
“If necessary, they can help them pivot – help them talk about what options are,” she said. “The care advocate is the first place to go … your guide to get you where you need to be.”
For instance, Vij herself needed advice about proper food for her then-8-month-old daughter – “I didn’t know a South Asian nutritionist was even a thing,” she said – and was told exactly what foods to provide her daughter.
“(Care advocates) fill a need,” Vij said. “They can speak to providers you may not even have known you needed.”
That “deep sense of being cared for” is a hallmark of Maven’s program, according to Vij.
“That’s something I’d never experienced before,” she said. “We meet our members where they are and care for them as individuals and really help try to connect the dots with them and give them that sense of a ‘village.’ A lot of people don’t have that, and Maven is able to create that sense for people.”
“We hear from members again and again that their care advocates come so close to them, they’re often the first person,” she added. “It absolutely speaks to the quality of the care advocates.”
According to Vij, some of the highlights of the Maven program include:
• More than 2,000 clients globally, covering some 17 million people.
• A path to the services even if a client’s company or health plan don’t have a partnership with Maven.
• Services are available for men, as well. According to Vij, some 40 percent of Maven’s members identify as male.
“Men go through these journeys, too,” Vij said. “There’re tons of providers specifically on our platform to help men as they navigate these journeys, too. We’re there for life’s more joyous and challenging times.”
• Incredibly high return to work rates – in the high 90s, compared to a national average of 57%. “There’s a real reason for employers to bring us on,” Vij said.
• Partnership with national health plans. There’s also an affordable option. “By and large, most people get access through either their employer or their insurance plan,” Vij pointed out.
The program is heavily app-based, with BCBSM listing a variety of programs on its website.
According to BCBSM’s posting, the Family Building and Women’s Health Support Solution is a digital app that offers four programs: Family Building, Maternity, Parenting & Pediatrics, and Menopause. Patients can choose a combination of programs or provide a complete solution.
BCBSM officials also point out the Maven solution and its programs are “not meant to change or replace employees’ current medical benefits, providers or medical team.” Instead, they said, it provides additional, inclusive care options that support all backgrounds and lifestyles through each phase of family building and beyond.
Vij pointed out that everything is available via Maven’s platform – well, maybe not everything. “You can’t deliver a baby that way,” Vij said with a smile – with care advocates available 24/7.
For example, she said, a breastfeeding mom who can’t get a baby to latch on in the middle of the night can talk to her care advocate.
“We can connect you with in-person providers who are not only physically close to you but also match your needs,” she said.
According to information posted to BCBSM’s website, in fact, employees who use the Maven app:
• Have a 90% return-to-work rate.
• Have 20-28% fewer neonatal intensive care unit admissions.
• 96% are more loyal to their employers.
• Only 45% of women experiencing menopause take sick days because of menopausal symptoms.
Vij found Maven after becoming pregnant herself. She said the early experience at her then-place of employment wasn’t a good one.
“I felt very acutely why individuals start to feel like they might want to pump the brakes on their career,” Vij said. “I felt under-supported at work, and a very dear friend introduced me to Maven. It’s a transition into health care I never expected, but I’m so happy it happened.”
Now she says Maven’s HR buyers call it the “single best benefit” they can bring to their boards.
“Maven is the one thing that people often simply say, ‘thank you,’” Vij said. “That’s something we are very proud of.”
