Tivity Health to Add New Features to Engage SilverSneakers Members in Fitness and Social Activities

PR Newswire

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tivity Health (NASDAQ: TVTY) announced today the features and benefits being offered to eligible Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement members in 2019 through SilverSneakers®, the nation's leading fitness program designed exclusively for older adults. SilverSneakers engages participants and drives sustainable behavior change through access to partner locations, fitness and community centers, a wide variety of programming options, and activities that incorporate physical well-being and social interaction.

Tivity Health (PRNewsfoto/Tivity Health, Inc)

"SilverSneakers has been proven to not only reduce healthcare costsⁱ.and improve the physical health of those who participate, but also to increase their social engagement;ⁱⁱ which is recognized as a critical component of good health and longevity," said Donato J. Tramuto, CEO of Tivity Health. "In 2019, our goal is to get more eligible SilverSneakers members enrolled and engaged in the program to experience these benefits for themselves. We are committed to a member experience that offers seniors unique opportunities and best-in-class resources to maintain an active lifestyle and make vital social connections."

SilverSneakers continues to maintain a Net Promoter Score – a measure of how likely members are to recommend the program to their friends -- of 81, significantly higher than many leading national brands. For 2019, Tivity Health will add several new features to continue to improve the member experience:

SilverSneakers GO
Tivity Health will launch a mobile fitness app designed specifically to fit the goals, preferences and lifestyle of active older adults. SilverSneakers GO™ will offer access to a library of guided workout programs created by trained SilverSneakers instructors; the ability to modify exercises based on ability, whether at home or at a partner location; scheduling and reminders for activities, classes and workouts; and the capability to log comments and track progress toward fitness goals.

SilverSneakers GO will be available for download through Apple and Google Play.

CollegeSave
As discussed at our Investor Day in June, CollegeSave offers tuition discounts at nearly 400 private colleges in 44 states. Through an innovative partnership with Tivity Health, SilverSneakers members can earn college tuition discounts for students, such as their grandchildren, nieces, nephews or whomever they designate. SilverSneakers members will receive points toward tuition when they sign up for the CollegeSave program and can accumulate additional points based on the number of times they visit a SilverSneakers participating location each month.

Social Engagement Resources
Loneliness and social isolation affect as many as 43 percent of older adultsⁱⁱⁱand are associated with a higher risk of heart disease, stroke^iv, disability^v and dementia^vi. In our 2017 survey of members, two thirds said they had made valuable relationships with other SilverSneakers members and half said that the program's social interactions increase their motivation to exercise^vii. In a national survey of over 3,000 members of a large Medicare Advantage plan, the rate of loneliness was over 25 percent lower among SilverSneakers participants than a matched group of non-participants.^viii

To further expand the social opportunities for seniors, SilverSneakers plans to roll out SilverSneakers Connect™ in 2019, a digital platform to connect seniors with events in their local community and with other seniors with similar interests. SilverSneakers Connect will be available via a web portal and mobile application – members will not need a smartphone to gain access.

The Tivity Health Experience Center, often the first point of contact for eligible members, will expand its outreach capabilities in 2019 to connect with and drive members to engage in activity including SilverSneakers programming and community events. The Experience Center, historically known as the "call center" within Tivity Health, made over 1 million outbound calls to members in 2018.

"SilverSneakers is more than an exercise program, it is a community of friends who feel like family," said Sally Miller, the 2018 SilverSneakers Swanson Inspiration Award winner. "We motivate each other, we support each other, and we have fun together, all while improving our health. It is a great way to connect with friends your own age, and to build a network of support."

SilverSneakers is only available through participating health plans. The program is currently offered to Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement members through more than 60 health plans nationwide, and four additional plans will begin offering SilverSneakers in 2019. Membership includes nationwide access to more than 15,000 partner locations. The network of partner locations will continue to grow in 2019 and includes non-profit partners such as the YMCA and other community-based organizations, locally-owned independent fitness locations and national partners, including 24 Hour Fitness, Curves and LA Fitness.

"SilverSneakers has a 26-year legacy of helping seniors to improve their cardiovascular health, strength, balance and flexibility through group fitness and through access to all of the benefits of gym membership," said Chris Roussos, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness. "Whether you're a veteran gym member or a newcomer, SilverSneakers offers something for everyone and is a core part of our overall programming and our commitment to improving the health and well-being of older adults."

SilverSneakers members can visit any participating fitness location in any city, so that they always have access to a convenient fitness option. In addition, members have access to the growing FLEX network, which includes community centers, senior centers, medical facilities, parks and other locations. SilverSneakers group fitness classes are taught by a trained instructor and each partner location has a dedicated program advisor.

SilverSneakers members enjoy digital access to the latest health education and lifestyle information, as well as information about social activities and networking, through a monthly email newsletter, the SilverSneakers' social media channels and SilverSneakers.com.

About Tivity Health
Tivity Health, Inc. is a leading provider of fitness and health improvement programs, with strong capabilities in developing and managing network solutions. Through its existing three networks, SilverSneakers® – the nation's leading community fitness program for older adults, Prime® Fitness and WholeHealth Living™, Tivity Health is focused on targeted population health for those 50 and over. With more than 15 million Americans eligible for SilverSneakers, over 10,000 fitness centers in the Prime Fitness Network, and more than 25 years of clinical and operational expertise in managing specialty health benefits and networks, including chiropractic services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, acupuncture, massage and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services, the Company touches millions of consumers across the country and works directly with hundreds of healthcare practitioners and many of the nation's largest payers and employers. In 2017, Tivity Health launched a rural aging initiative to address challenges unique to older adults in rural communities. Learn more at TivityHealth.com or SilverSneakers.com.

ⁱ Crossman, A.F. (2018) Healthcare cost savings over a one-year period for SilverSneakers group exercise participants.
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Nguyen, H.Q., Ackermann, R.T., Maciejewski, M., Berke, E., Patrick, M., Williams, B., LoGerfo, J.P. (2008) Managed-Medicare health club benefit and reduced health care costs among older adults. Preventing Chronic Disease, 5(1), A14.
ⁱⁱ Hamar, B., Coberley, C.R., Pope, J.E., Rula, E.Y. (2013). Impact of a senior fitness program on measures of physical and emotional health and functioning. Population Health Management. Population Health Management, 16(6), 364-372.
ⁱⁱⁱ Perissinotto, C.M., Cenzer, I.S., Covinsky, K.E. (2012). Loneliness in Older Persons: A predictor of functional decline and death. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(14),1078-1083.
^iv Valtorta, N.K., Kanaan, M., Gilbody, S., Ronzi, S., Hanratty, B. (2016) Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies. Heart, 102(13), 1009-1016.
^v Perissinotto, C.M., Cenzer, I.S., Covinsky, K.E. (2012) Loneliness in Older Persons: A predictor of functional decline and death. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(14), 1078-1083.
^viHolwerda, T.J., Deeg, D.J., Beekman, A.T., van Tilburg. T.G., Stek, M.L., Jonker, C., Schoevers, R.A. (2014). Feelings of loneliness, but not social isolation, predict dementia onset: results from the Amsterdam Study of the Elderly (AMSTEL). J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 85(2), 135-42.
^vii Tivity Health 2017 Annual Member Survey
^viii Tivity Health and MIT AgeLab survey, 2017. Unpublished data.