Sword Health

This Halloween, the scariest thing haunting American budgets isn’t ghosts - it’s the skyrocketing healthcare premiums expected next year. Having already saved our clients over $1B in healthcare costs to date, Sword is the partner that helps you fight back. (All headlines are real; check the comments for the full stories.)

AI is bringing a systemic revolution to healthcare. The potential is transformative, and there’s no going back. But with every breakthrough comes misunderstanding and skepticism. At Sword, we don’t shy away from tough questions. We meet them with clinical evidence. In this week’s newsletter, our Chief Medical Officer, Vijay Yanamadala MD, MBA, FAANS, FCNS, unpacks some of the most common myths and fears surrounding AI in healthcare and what the research actually shows. Unmissable read ⬇️

At Sword, we made the shift to outcome-based pricing long ago. That model means our clients - employers and health plans alike - only pay when they see measurable results. It’s helped us align our clients’ spending with their true priority: helping their members recover. And, internally, it’s kept our teams focused on what really moves the needle: better health outcomes for people.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. With one exception: our takeaways from HLTH USA 2025, where 12,000+ leaders in the health space gathered to discuss where the industry is headed. From preventive technology, to the AI debate, here are the themes that shaped this year’s edition.

Sword is live from HLTH USA! We brought our AI Care solutions to the main stage with a brand-new booth, and our live ROI calculator quickly became a crowd favorite. Another highlight: our CEO, Virgílio (“V”) Bento, took the stage alongside Elevance’s Chief Data & Digital AI Transformation Officer, Ashok Chennuru, and they both shared how AI is reshaping healthcare today: allowing systems to scale and touch more lives, while delivering better outcomes at a fraction of the cost. We loved welcoming everyone who stopped by to pick up the new edition of our children’s book for healthcare heroes. If you didn’t grab one yet, we saved a few; swing by our booth or fill out the link in the comments (and we’ll ship it your way).

At Sword, we don’t just build for our clients, we build WITH them. And that collaboration, that willingness to listen first, will always be our greatest innovation. Last week, some of our Customer Advisory Board members joined our leadership at Harvard Business School. It reminded me of something I deeply believe: real innovation doesn’t start with technology, it starts with listening. Listening to the challenges our clients face. Listening to what keeps them up at night and what gives them hope. Listening to the human stories behind every solution we create. As one CAB member said as we wrapped, “This has been absolutely wonderful! I can’t wait for the next event with Sword!” That sentiment sums up the energy and heart of this team perfectly. The excitement around Sword Health is real and it’s spectacular watching greatness in action. To our CAB members, Niko Triantafillou Ashley Brennan Kristyn Cantu Annette Vota, thank you for sharing your insights and experiences, and for reminding us why we do what we do. Your partnership truly fuels us!! #SwordStrong #innovation #leadingtheway

We’re welcoming Josh Greenwald as Sword’s new SVP and Chief People Officer. Josh is a global HR executive with over two decades of experience leading talent and transformation across Fortune 100 companies. In his role, Josh will lead our People function, responsible for building, growing, and supporting our exceptional talent. In parallel, he’ll help amplify Sword’s voice within the HR community, partnering with leaders to tackle today’s most pressing workforce challenges. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ecxhWkYB

One of the highlights of our year is always when we go back to Harvard to give a lecture on the case study that Harvard Business School wrote on Sword. After spending so many years reading HBS cases, it still feels surreal that Sword is now one of them. This year, we invited some of our clients and our leadership team to join the discussion, which made it even more engaging. Many thanks to Professor Regina Herzlinger for believing in what we’re building, for writing the case with her team, and for all the encouragement and support she’s given our mission over the years. I don’t think we’ll ever feel like we’ve made it, but this is probably as close as it gets. Still only 5% done.

Our CEO, Virgílio (“V”) Bento, will be on stage at HLTH USA 2025. Join him and Elevance Health’s Chief AI Officer on Oct 21 to learn how Sword’s AI Care Model is: → Expanding access to care → Improving patient experience → Saving businesses millions in avoidable costs 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 (𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬): 📍AI Pavilion 🗓️ Tuesday, Oct 21 | 9:50am ET 🎤 AI in Healthcare: Expanding Access and Transforming Member Experience

Completing Thrive, our AI Care solution for MSK recovery, on the phone or through the Thrive Pad - a dedicated device: which one do you think our members choose? Although we offer the flexibility to use either one, 98% of our members go with the Thrive Pad. Let’s unpack why: → Phones have tiny screens: to capture your full body, you need to stand 10 feet away. Unless you have super-vision, you’ll be squinting the whole time. → The convenience of recovering from home also means background noise - kids playing, dinner cooking, you name it. Thrive Pad comes with dual mics that capture voice clearly, so you don’t have to repeat yourself. → Thrive Pad connects seamlessly to Phoenix, our AI Care specialist, providing real-time biofeedback so patients can correct their exercises. Healthcare ≠ Wellness. For our members, it’s the difference between recovering or not.