Healthmine, a leading member engagement and rewards platform for health plans, has announced a strategic partnership with Exact Sciences, a global leader in cancer diagnostics. This collaboration aims to improve colorectal cancer screening completion rates by enabling health plans to incentivize members for completing at-home Cologuard® screenings.
Through this partnership, members of participating health plans will receive incentives from their plan upon completing and returning the at-home Cologuard test. The initiative seeks to address key preventive care gaps and support early detection of colorectal cancer, aligning with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)’s renewed focus on prevention and wellness across Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Healthmine’s health plan partners have previously demonstrated significant improvements in care gap closure. They have seen a 25% improvement over baseline in colorectal cancer screening measure programs, a 52% improvement in overall gap closure across all programs with and without incentives, and an average 93% increase in gap closure among members participating in rewards programs. Kimberly Swanson, Healthmine’s Chief of Staff, stated, “Colorectal cancer screening is one of the most underutilized, yet most effective, preventive tools in our healthcare system. By combining Exact Sciences’ trusted and convenient Cologuard testing with Healthmine’s incentive-driven engagement strategy, health plans can close screening gaps faster, drive meaningful participation across all lines of business, and ultimately improve both outcomes and increased MLR savings by reducing the need for more costly interventions.”
This initiative is already underway with several national, regional, and Blues plans, with additional launches anticipated in 2025. Incentivizing preventive care, such as Cologuard screening tests, which allow patients to collect a sample at home and ship it for laboratory testing, is particularly beneficial for members facing social barriers to care, including lack of transportation or limited access to in-person providers. Mike Kemeter, Exact Sciences’ Vice President of Market Access, commented, “We are excited to collaborate with Healthmine to help our health plan partners get more members screened for colorectal cancer. Combining our ability to offer care gap screening programs with a proven health plan member engagement company can add real cost and enrollment retention value for both members and plans.”
The partnership coincides with a period when CMS and NCQA have emphasized the role of in-home testing and member incentives in driving preventive care uptake. During the 2025 CMS Quality Conference, agency leaders highlighted the importance of shifting from reactive care to strategies that promote wellness, early intervention, and cost savings. Healthmine’s Quality Relationship Management™ (QRM®) platform facilitates tailored outreach, real-time reporting, and expedited fulfillment of gift card incentives, typically within 48 hours of a member’s action. Together, Healthmine and Exact Sciences aim to assist health plans across all lines of business in reducing care gaps, optimizing medical loss ratio (MLR), meeting quality performance goals, and enhancing member retention through improved satisfaction.
