Harvard Pilgrim acquires health coaching firm

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has acquired an Arkansas company that helps large employers improve the health behavior of their workers.

A subsidiary of the Wellesley, Mass.-based health insurer, third-party administrator Health Plans Inc., acquired TrestleTree of Fayetteville, Ark.

TrestleTree will be a service marketed to large employers who are self-insured and want to reduce medical expenses by improving the health and health-related behaviors of their workforces.

TrestleTree offers health coaching and lifestyle management services, including health risk assessments, smoking cessation, weight management, stress management, exercise programs and analysis of gaps in care. The firm also has developed software to support these programs with progress monitoring and reporting.

“We are thrilled to offer our employers TrestleTree’s proven methods for health transformation,“ said Deb Hodges, Health Plans Inc.’s president. “This acquisition complements our existing integrated care management and third party administration services, enabling us to offer higher level risk management and cost savings for employers.”

According to TrestleTree President Ted Borgstadt, the relationship with Harvard Pilgrim “allows for a broader expansion of TrestleTree's core expertise: helping less motivated individuals measurably change difficult health behaviors that results in lower cost and better health."