Castlight Ecosystem Q&A: Redefining digital health integration

In an era where health benefit costs are continually rising—fast—employers are called to rethink their entire benefits strategy. According to the 2025 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey, the majority of employers are looking to re-evaluate and consolidate vendor partnerships in an effort to cut healthcare costs and improve performance. 

To stay ahead, employers need more than just cost control—they need a smarter, more connected benefit experience that attracts and retains talent. That’s where Castlight Health’s evolving partner ecosystem plays a critical role.

Here, Emelia O’Meara, Castlight’s Director of strategic Growth and Partnerships, shares the company’s ambitious evolution of its digital health partner ecosystem into a true marketplace, and why this innovation is essential for employers navigating a rapidly shifting landscape.

Q: What is Castlight’s partner ecosystem, and why is it so important right now?

Our Castlight Ecosystem is more than just a collection of available vendors—it’s a comprehensive network of the most innovative digital health solutions on the market, seamlessly integrated into one member digital experience. We rigorously vet each partner, then bring them together in a single platform that’s designed to deliver a personalized member experience, while streamlining vendor management and removing administrative burden for employers. 

Employers are demanding higher ROI and performance from their point solution vendors. The power of our Castlight Ecosystem lies in its ability to drive meaningful engagement—connecting members to appropriate benefits at the right time. Our algorithms leverage a set of clinical and behavioral data to identify relevant digital point solutions for individual members, which get surfaced as personalized recommendations throughout the member experience. We offer rewards and incentives, connected to our Castlight Ecosystem, where members earn points for completing certain activities, such as ‘Complete A Glucose Check’, with employer-sponsored solutions. 

Employers invest time and effort to offer relevant point solutions. Our consumer-centric experience has proven to drive better employee engagement with benefits, helping to maximize the value employers get from their benefit strategy.

Q: How does the Castlight Ecosystem provide value for employers?

The existing system is broken by design. The Castlight Ecosystem aims to help employers break free from the status quo and we do so with a focus on three key fundamentals: simplicity, flexibility, performance.

We hear a lot about ‘Point Solution Fatigue,’ yet, we see that employers are spending more than ever on point solutions, with more than 75% of employers increasing spend on digital health solutions in the past two years. We recognize that employers are drowning in choice. The lack of clear, third-party data makes it difficult for employers to evaluate which vendors are high performing. Despite increasingly diverse, distributed workforces, most employers only offer 4-9 point solutions that do not meet the diverse needs of their employee population. In the end, employees remain dissatisfied and disengaged with their benefit offerings, while employers remain overwhelmed. 

Our Castlight Ecosystem brings proven solutions under one roof, makes them interoperable, and allows employers to manage them with greater administrative ease and speed-to-market.

Behind the scenes, Castlight’s robust analytics capabilities support reporting to continuously evaluate program performance, guide future investment decisions, and deliver hyper-personalized recommendations based on individual needs and interests.   

Instead of employers managing multiple point solution relationships, Castlight handles all contracting with the employer’s connected point solutions, which get listed as a line item in their Castlight contract. 

And the performance speaks for itself: Both employers and our ecosystem’s digital health partners see significantly higher utilization when benefits are delivered through Castlight versus on their own. Why? Because we put the right solution in front of the right person at the right time, backed by clinical and behavioral data, real-world incentives, and intuitive UI.

For example, Hinge Health, a digital musculoskeletal (MSK) physical therapy offering, sees three times higher engagement when their services are integrated through the Castlight platform than when members are using it directly.   

It’s good for the employer (who maximize their benefit strategy), it’s good for the member (who receives the type of quality care they need)—and it’s good for our partners, too (who see greater utilization and, therefore, employer ROI).

Q: How do employers and members plug into the ecosystem?

We’ve designed Castlight to be a true health navigation hub. Employers can integrate their benefits strategy directly into our platform—meaning their medical plan, point solutions, wellness programs, and care navigation tools all flow through one unified member experience.

Plus, it’s all measurable. We provide detailed, AI-powered analytics that show what’s working, where members are engaging, and how those interactions are translating into better outcomes and lower costs.

Meanwhile, members can log into Castlight and see everything they have access to—from mental health support and chronic condition programs to virtual care and pharmacy tools—all in one place. It’s personalized, it’s contextual, and it drives appropriate member engagement.

Q: What trends are you seeing from employers in 2025 and looking ahead to the future? How are they shaping how you design the ecosystem?

The number one trend is consolidation with accountability. Employers are no longer just asking what a solution does. They’re asking: Does it deliver? Is it integrated? Will people use it? They want to see real outcomes, including clearer reporting to see what’s working, track member activity, and spot where to improve or invest further.

We’re also seeing increased involvement from finance and C-suite stakeholders—76% of employers say their finance teams are now more involved in benefits strategy compared to 2024, which means ROI and performance transparency are non-negotiables.

Finally, everyone’s increasingly focused on flexibility. Employers want to empower employees to access and use benefits in ways that fit their needs, boosting satisfaction.

At Castlight, we’re doubling down on our Castlight Ecosystem to better meet these needs. We’re expanding our ecosystem to deliver a greater selection for employees while also making it easier for employees to choose benefits most relevant to them.

We’re also building upon the way we support employers, sharing additional data and consulting them on their point solution investment.

The future isn’t just more digital health—it’s smarter, more integrated digital health.

Q: What advice would you give employers trying to integrate or consolidate their vendor ecosystem?

Start by asking: Do you have access to the right data or tools to support decisions around consolidation and performance? Do you know what’s working? What’s not? Or, what employees actually use? (This post shares a helpful, quick-start guide for benefit leaders assessing their offerings.) Then, look for a platform partner who can address your biggest pain points or gaps – a partner, for example, who has done the work to vet solutions, who can deliver streamlined access and engagement strategies for your members, and who can provide data to help you assess, integrate, and continuously optimize your portfolio. 

You don’t need to do it all alone. Castlight was built to help you unify your strategy, deepen member engagement, and ultimately, get more from every benefit you offer. We’re excited to be part of your journey and a better path forward. 

With healthcare inflation climbing and benefits complexity increasing, employers are facing a pivotal moment. Castlight’s evolving partner ecosystem offers not just relief, but a roadmap for what’s next. View all our available ecosystem partners here.

Are you a point solution vendor interested in partnering and joining our ecosystem? Learn more and get in touch here.