As healthcare costs continue to climb and employee needs become more complex, employers and health plans are increasingly turning to digital health vendors, or “point solutions”, to fill the gaps. But with thousands of vendors in the market, over 350,000 health apps globally and 11,000+ new digital health apps added each year, choosing the right ones has become overwhelming. And for many employers, it’s leading to a growing problem: point solution fatigue.
What is Point Solution Fatigue?
Point solution fatigue happens when employers and employees alike are overwhelmed by the sheer volume and complexity of digital health tools being offered. Instead of feeling supported, users feel lost.
Consider this: the average large employer now offers 16 different digital health programs to their workforce, according to a recent survey. Yet, employee engagement with these tools remains low, with usage rates often below 20%.
That disconnect is costing more than just time and money; it’s eroding trust, creating confusion, and leaving real health challenges unaddressed.
The Hidden Costs of a Fragmented Strategy
The intent behind adding these solutions is good: support employee well-being, reduce healthcare costs, and close care gaps. But when every new problem leads to another standalone app or platform, the long-term impact can be counterproductive.
Here’s what a fragmented digital health strategy can lead to:
- Administrative overload: HR teams struggle to manage contracts, track ROI, and ensure alignment with benefits strategy.
- Employee confusion: Too many tools, inconsistent messaging, and unclear enrollment steps make it hard for employees to know what’s available, or why it matters.
- Vendor overlap and redundancy: Multiple apps may offer similar features, creating waste and diluting the value of each solution.
In short, more isn’t always better. What employees need isn’t another app, it’s a smarter, more streamlined way to manage the digital health ecosystem.
Enter the Benefits Consultant: Your Strategic Sherpa
So how do employers cut through the noise, eliminate redundancies, and actually improve health outcomes? That’s where a benefits consultant becomes indispensable.
A benefits consultant who specializes in cutting through the noise understands the digital health landscape, knows which solutions deliver proven ROI, and can guide employers toward a streamlined, high-impact strategy. This expertise is critical, especially when only 30% of digital health solutions demonstrate measurable ROI when implemented in isolation. That statistic underscores a fundamental truth: to move from complexity to clarity, employers need a partner who not only understands the fragmented world of digital health but also their organization’s unique goals and workforce needs.
Here’s how a benefits consultant can help:
- Curate, Don’t Accumulate – A skilled consultant evaluates the current vendor mix and identifies redundancies. Instead of layering on more solutions, they help narrow down the list to high-impact programs that integrate well and are backed by data.
- Align Solutions With Strategy – Not every shiny new app aligns with your workforce needs or organizational goals. A benefits consultant ensures that your digital health tools are targeted, measurable, and aligned with broader HR, DEI, and cost containment strategies.
- Drive Adoption Through Education – Even the best solution fails without engagement. Consultants bring proven playbooks for employee communication, training, and rollout. They help demystify digital tools and embed them into the culture of wellness, not just the benefits portal.
- Measure What Matters – Forget vanity metrics like downloads. Consultants help you track outcomes that matter, reduced ER visits, improved chronic disease management, fewer missed workdays, and connect those results back to your overall ROI.
From App Fatigue to Digital Health ROI
The truth is, more isn’t better, it’s just more. As digital health continues to expand, employers must shift their approach from accumulation to curation and coordination.
That’s the only way to avoid point solution fatigue, and unlock the true potential of digital health tools.
With the right benefits consultant, you can:
- Streamline your vendor ecosystem
- Increase employee engagement by 2x–3x
- Improve ROI on health programs
- Deliver a simpler, more human-centered benefits experience
Take Action
If your HR team is spending more time managing vendors than supporting employees, or if engagement with your digital health tools is lagging, it may be time to hit reset.
Partner with a benefits consultant who can help you simplify, streamline, and succeed. Because when it comes to employee health, clarity isn’t just kind, it’s critical.