Considerations for Providers of Health Coaching Programs: To Build or Buy

Abstract

As the demand from employers increases for purchasing health coaching services, more specialty and ancillary service companies are getting into the business of offering health coaching, including disease management companies, employee assistance programs (EAPs), third party administrators of health care claims (TPAs) and even some health plans. The concern with this trend, however, is how well prepared these various companies are to create and deliver high quality health coaching services in a cost effective manner. The choice facing providers who want to offer health coaching services is either to buy the service from another provider and resell it a part of their other services or else to build it internally as their own product. This “build or buy” question is difficult to answer because there are many aspects to consider for each option. This question is examined through a review of research and business literature.