Laguna Health Adds Fortune 100 Employer and Health Plan Experience to Exec Team

Laguna Health, a digital-first home recovery platform, announced that Justin Swant has joined as Chief Business Officer. A deeply experienced healthcare and employer-sponsored benefits leader, Swant brings with him 20 years of experience with some of the world’s largest health plans and employers, including Aetna, Cigna and The Walt Disney Company. In his new role, Swant will be responsible for executing Laguna’s U.S. business operations, including the growth and oversight of its business development, sales, customer success and integration teams.

In pilots with several leading health institutions, Laguna Health is reshaping post-hospital recovery and care by leveraging data, digital care and behavioral health interventions. In the United States, 20% of discharged patients are readmitted to the hospital, which incurs a cost burden for employers and payers of nearly $80 billion annually. With at least half of readmissions considered preventable, health plans, care providers and employers are all incentivized to explore how modern digital-first interventions and care can improve post-hospital recovery and lower overall costs.

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“One of the biggest opportunities for driving down spend and improving outcomes is to focus on the transitions between various care settings,” said Swant. “Laguna’s emphasis on building a home recovery solution to nurture those transitions is something I know the world’s largest self-insured employers and health plans are keenly interested in as they continue to grapple with perpetually rising healthcare costs. I’m thrilled to join Yoni, Yael, Alan and team as we tackle this critical care gap.”

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Swant joins Laguna from direct-to-employer cancer care benefits company AccessHope, where he led product development and innovation efforts. He has held leadership positions at two of the largest health insurance organizations, including Aetna and Cigna, where he managed some of the largest commercial employer-sponsored health plan accounts. In the years leading up to Cigna, Swant served in healthcare, HR and benefits consulting roles at Deloitte Consulting and benefits strategy at The Walt Disney Company.

“We’ve seen strong provider and patient outcomes in our early pilots, with readmissions reduction at 80%,” said Yoni Shtein, CEO and Co-founder of Laguna Health. “Justin’s deep experience with large payers and self-insured employers is an asset as we look to widen our footprint beyond health systems.”

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