Articles | April 1, 2026

Evaluating the Impact and Outcomes of Point Solutions

By Jason Jossie, ASA, MAAA & Sadhna Paralkar, MD, MPH

Point solutions are typically standalone product offerings or smartphone applications (apps) for specific chronic health conditions, such as diabetes or musculoskeletal (MSK) issues. The point solutions marketplace is uncomfortably saturated, making it challenging for health plan sponsors to determine which ones to use and, for the many plan sponsors that already offer at least one point solution, to identify whether intervention efforts are having a positive effect on plan participants.

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Evaluating the Impact and Outcomes of Point Solutions Download Now

In an article recently published in the First Quarter 2026 issue of Benefits Quarterly, we discuss how plan sponsors can maximize the value of point solutions. Key strategies include:

  • Ensuring compatibility with existing benefits platforms and care-navigation tools
  • Setting goals and a plan for measuring them
  • Having a clear and concise contract in place to hold vendors accountable
  • Creating an implementation strategy that includes participant communications
  • Following a rigorous evaluation process grounded in data and clinical evidence that considers both leading indicators (metrics that should improve first, typically in the initial year of the program and, if improving, should lead to program success in succeeding years) and lagging indicators, which typically show up two or more years after program enrollment

Methodologies for evaluating point solutions

We believe propensity score matching (PSM) may be a better tool than a randomized control study. PSM utilizes logistic regression to calculate the probability — called propensity scores — that a particular participant will engage with these programs. Developing propensity scores requires the evaluator to choose attributes to categorize participants, such as demographics and comorbidities.

Another common approach to create fair comparisons between participants in a point solution and nonparticipants is a method called coarsened exact matching (CEM). CEM requires identifying important characteristics indicative of program engagement (e.g., age) and grouping the characteristics into broader categories (e.g., using age bands like 30–39, instead of matching on exact ages). Participants are matched to nonparticipants exactly within these “coarsened” groups. The CEM method is similar to PSM but holds the key advantages of being more transparent and less computational/technical. It also allows for more control over the matching, which should be correlated with the size of the population that has participated in the point solution.

Whichever method is chosen, once two statistically similar populations have been identified and experience can be compared to quantify the ROI, a key assumption is used: Absent the program, the two populations would see a similar increase in costs from one year to the next. By analyzing the difference in costs between the two groups, one can assume that the difference is due to the intervention.

When thoughtfully selected, integrated and evaluated, point solutions can deliver on their promise of improvements in health outcomes, reduced costs and enhanced the participant experience. Point solutions could be instrumental in shaping more personalized and equitable health benefits that meet the needs of both plan sponsors and their participants.

More information about point solution success

You can download the article with permission from the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists, the publishers of Benefits Quarterly.

Interested in determining the ROI of your point solutions?

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This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax or investment advice. You are encouraged to discuss the issues raised here with your legal, tax and other advisors before determining how the issues apply to your specific situations.

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