If your PBM offers point solutions, it may tout a dozen digital tools and apps, such as drug price checkers, copay maximizers, and adherence programs, but if employees aren’t using them, they’re just noise.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: most point solutions fail quietly. HR rarely hears about it until the plan year ends and the cost savings they were promised didn’t show up.
So why aren’t employees engaging with these tools? It usually boils down to three things: they’re disconnected, poorly promoted, or frustrating to use. And that’s a PBM problem, not an HR one.
A relevant excerpt from Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein is:
“A nudge, as we will use the term, is any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives.”
Integration is everything
Point solutions shouldn’t feel like third-party bolt-ons. If your PBM is serious about outcomes, they’ll embed these tools directly into your existing member portal with single sign-on and real-time data syncing.
If your team has to remind employees to “also check this other tool” for savings, it has already failed.
Engagement requires more than an email blast
Employees are overwhelmed with benefits information. If a point solution is going to make a difference, communication must be timely and personalized.
For example, Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, Built In:
When we integrated Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company pricing into our member portal, we didn’t just offer a link. We embedded the pricing engine directly into the member experience.
Here’s what that looked like:
- Members search for a drug in the portal and instantly see Cost Plus pricing side by side with their plan benefit price.
- If Cost Plus is cheaper, we don’t just show it, we guide the member through the purchase process, including physician coordination when needed.
- No new account. No extra login. Just real-time data, simple instructions, and fast results.
That’s what drives engagement: relevance, timing, and ease.
Design like it’s 2025
If the interface looks like it was built during the Blackberry era, no one’s touching it. These tools must be mobile-first, intuitive, and backed by live support when needed. No friction. No confusion. Just a clear benefit and a straightforward way to use it.
What HR can do
- Ask your PBM for usage data. If fewer than 30% of eligible members are engaging, that’s a red flag.
- Push for integration. Demand tools that are built into the member portal—not just added on.
- Tie point solutions to plan design. If a lower-cost option exists but isn’t surfaced automatically, the PBM isn’t doing its job.
Your goal isn’t to offer more tools. It’s to offer fewer tools that work. If engagement isn’t baked in, then savings and outcomes are just marketing copy. And that’s not good enough, not for your employees, and not for your health plan.
