Trestle Tree Adding New Software to Its Health Coaching Lineup

Trestle Tree in Fayetteville has applied its particular blend of psychological expertise and technology to help change habits and improve the health of individuals across the country during the past 15 years — and with new-and-improved software in the works, it plans to continue the expansion of its outreach in 2016.

Ted Borgstadt, cofounder and CEO, first saw a need for Trestle Tree’s offerings during his 17-year career in the retail pharmacy industry, where he noticed a lack of follow-through among patients who were told by physicians to change their daily behaviors by eating better, exercising or following a medicine regimen.

The company works primarily with corporate workforces and specializes in addressing behaviors within the “non-adherent population,” Borgstadt said. “Even if they are not motivated, even if they’ve given up to hope to change, even if they are noncompliant — that’s really our expertise.”

Its health coaches undergo a very intensive training process that includes 200-plus hours with Ph.D.-level psychologists, where they learn to effectively connect with people and build relationships of trust, said Becky Parker, senior vice president of operations.

Empirical clinical data put together from clients’ workforce health metrics show that between 60 and 70 percent of individuals who were flagged because of at-risk health conditions like high blood pressure or high blood sugar were brought down to normal levels under Trestle Tree, Borgstadt said.

In addition, he said that six independent return on investment actuarial studies have been conducted throughout the years by clients’ consultants, and that they show ROIs that range from 1.5:1 and 3.1:1.

Last January, Trestle Tree was acquired by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

The company also saw 40 percent top-line growth last year, and Borgstadt expects more of the same this year. 

“The alignment of the market is very strong right now, because of our core expertise of really helping people that are non-adherent change behavior,” Borgstadt said. “That’s the Achilles’ heel of where we are in health care today, and it has been.”

In 2016, Trestle Tree plans to launch the next generation of its eCOACHsystem open-source platform. The newest version will incorporate new technologies and work better within the local health care ecosystem, said IT director Cory Ward.

In addition, “the eCOACHsystem will incorporate multiple communication technologies with a Pandora-like focus on matching each unique individual’s communication preference and learning style with the appropriate support person at the most opportune time,” he said.