Is the Biometric Screening Dead? AI + Bloodless Testing is Here

Does anyone actually like biometric screenings?

Let’s be honest, no one likes them. Fasting, finger pricks, lab visits, disrupted workdays, low participation, and high costs? It’s time to rethink how wellness screenings are done.

Yet, the traditional biometric screening has been a core part of corporate wellness programs for decades. But that’s about to change.

AI-powered, bloodless biometric screenings can deliver highly accurate, real-time results in under a minute… using just a smartphone.

Are you still doing biometric screenings the old way?

If you’re not at least exploring smarter, faster, cost-effective and more employee-friendly alternatives, your wellness strategy (and your budget) might already be falling behind.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. AI + bloodless biometric screening is here.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• Why traditional screenings are outdated for wellness programs
• How a smartphone camera + AI can do bloodless biometric screenings
• What health data bloodless screening can measure with 94% accuracy
• 4 data-driven reasons to use bloodless
   biometric screenings

Traditional Biometric Screenings: Effective But Outdated

Yes, biometric screenings still serve a purpose. They…

• Help identify high-risk individuals within your employee population, so you can help them get the coaching, interventions and healthcare they need.
• Give you evidence-based data about population health, that helps you make informed decisions about wellness program interventions and incentives to promote health, prevent disease and control healthcare costs.

But in the post COVID-era, the traditional biometric screening process is outdated.

• It disrupts the workday. Scheduling, fasting, and off-site appointments take time and energy.
• It’s expensive. Onsite biometric screening events and lab processing come with a hefty price tag.
• They’re underused. Once-a-year screenings aren’t enough to drive behavior change, especially with low participation rates.

Nearly half of large employers still offer biometric screenings, but it’s typically

 just once a year.1 And the average participation rate is just 23 percent.

Not exactly a great source of data or ROI, right?

The Smarter Alternative: Bloodless Testing + AI

Now imagine this instead:

You send out an email or text message inviting your employees to complete a biometric screening, WITHOUT…

• A finger prick
• Blood draw
• Lab processing
• Scheduling headaches
• Costs for staff and labwork

Instead…

• Your employee opens an app and holds up their phone for 30-60 seconds looking into the camera.
• In less than a minute, they receive a personalized health report.
• And you have real-time access to population-health data to help you make informed decisions for your wellness program.

This is bloodless biometric screening powered by AI, and it’s only available through the FitLyfe 360 platform.

It’s designed to give your employees quick, convenient access to wellness data using their smartphone or a company kiosk. And it can save you time and money.

Smartphone Tech for Bloodless Biometric Screenings

Wondering how it works, what it can measure, and how accurate it is?

Here’s what you need to know…

• Frustration. 74% of users reported frustration with navigation, making it difficult to complete tasks.
• Overwhelmed. 66% said apps were too complex, leading to overwhelm and drop-off.
• Technical issues. 50% stopped using wellness apps due to technical issues like bugs and slow performance.

The fix: Prioritize UX & personalization

The best corporate wellness software should be:

• rPPG. The technology that makes bloodless biometric screening possible is called remote photoplethysmography (rPPG):
• The Camera inside a smartphone, tablet, or screen (like a digital kiosk) uses rPPG to detect tiny changes in facial skin color caused by blood flow.
• Analysis. These changes are analyzed using AI to estimate health metrics, without any physical contact or lab equipment.
• Results. In just 30 to 60 seconds, your employees can screen themselves wherever they are and get results in about five minutes.

Accuracy for rPPG bloodless biometric screenings

Even a traditional blood draw or finger-prick biometric screening isn’t perfect.

There’s still a small chance for error from something like contamination, a processing mistake, lost labwork, or some other human error.

So how accurate is a bloodless biometric screening using rPPG?

In a recent study, researchers found that smartphone rPPG measured heart rate and blood pressure with 93 to 97 percent accuracy.

A separate study published in the journal Nature found that rPPG combined with machine learning, can accurately measure:

• Vital signs like heart rate using just a video camera
• Without any physical contact or sensors needed.

A bloodless biometric screening can measure:

• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Breathing rate
• Oxygen saturation
• A1C and glucose risk (non-diagnostic)
• Stress level and stress index
• Cardiovascular disease risk
• Heart age
• Overall wellness score

Limitations: 

A bloodless biometric screening can’t measure cholesterol levels. Plus, it’s not intended to provide medical advice. It’s for educational purposes only. (Our lawyers made us say that).

Convenience & cost:A bloodless biometric screening allows your employees to measure their health status every day.

And that’s without any additional costs or the typical time-location limits of traditional biometric screenings.

Maybe the traditional biometric screening used in most wellness programs is on the way out.

4 Data-Driven Reasons to Use Bloodless Biometric Screenings

Why keep using outdated methods when a better one is available?

Here are four data-driven reasons to consider leveraging the power of AI and moving to bloodless biometric screenings.

1. Lower cost

Bloodless biometric screenings can be as low as $0.07 to $5 each, depending on your population size.

• Traditional biometric screenings (both on and off-site), cost an estimated $45 to $70 per employee/

2. Less disruptions

No labs, no appointments, no on or off-site disruptions. That’s huge, right?

• Instead of losing half a work day and lost productivity common with the traditional biometric screening, rPPG tech makes it possible to complete screening and get results in minutes.
• In a recent study, Harvard researchers found that making your wellness initiatives easier and more accessible improves outcomes.

3. Higher engagement

It’s simple and mobile. Employees are more likely to participate when all they have to do is pick up their phone. No appointment or trip to a clinic required.

• One recent study found that using digital health screening tools led to increased engagement, reduced workload, and better risk identification among employees.

4. Real-time data

Your employees get fast, personalized results. And you get fresh insights, not just an annual snapshot.

• Results are processed by AI and reviewed by a human, typically within 10 minutes.
• And that makes a big difference. Employers that stick with the status quo are missing opportunities to innovate and modernize their wellness strategies.

Are Traditional Biometric Screenings Dead?

Maybe not officially. Many wellness programs will stick with the status-quo and traditional biometric screenings, because that’s the way it’s always been done.

But that’s going to change.

AI-powered, bloodless screening gives you a powerful, more cost-effective way to reach more employees with less effort.

It removes barriers, boosts engagement, and gives you real-time population-health data to help your employees and improve wellness program ROI.

What’s the financial impact of population health management?

Think about it this way: 90% of the nation’s $4.1 trillion in annual healthcare costs is tied to chronic and preventable conditions.

If you’re investing in wellness, you already know prevention matters, but you may not be getting the results you expected.

The issue often isn’t strategy. It’s execution.

The old way of doing things…

Relying on once-a-year biometric screenings, siloed tools, or static reporting leads to missed opportunities, low engagement, and underwhelming ROI.

The new way of doing things…

When population health management is powered by real-time data, seamless integration, and personalized engagement, you can reduce risk across your workforce, and clearly show the value of your program.

Here are six ways to use data to improve your population health strategy.

1. Fix the Execution Gap with Better Integration

Many organizations understand the value of population health management—but struggle to execute at scale.

In fact, only 32% of total rewards leaders say their organization is effective at measuring the success of employee well-being initiatives

Common pitfalls include:

• Siloed technology and fragmented data
• Generic programming and one-size-fits-all conten
• Low employee engagement due to poor personalization
• Static data from annual screenings instead of real-time insights

Solving these issues starts with integrating your wellness tools, platforms, and data systems.

2. Use Real-Time Data Instead of Annual Snapshots

Yearly biometric screenings are helpful but limited. They create lagging indicators and miss opportunities for early intervention.

Nearly half of large employers still offer biometric screenings, yet participation averages just 23%.3

• That’s not enough to drive behavior change or deliver meaningful population-level insights.

Today’s leading organizations are shifting toward real-time, digital health tracking powered by wearables and emerging technologies like remote photoplethysmography (rPPG), which can measure key health metrics through a smartphone camera.

FitLyfe 360 Insight: We’re actively exploring the integration of bloodless biometric screening using rPPG, a contactless technology that has shown 93–97% accuracy in measuring heart rate and blood pressure.

While not yet available, this innovation is part of our commitment to making wellness data more immediate, accessible, and engaging…no labs or finger pricks required.

3. Personalize Outreach & Engagement

Population health isn’t about offering the same wellness challenge to every employee. It’s about delivering individualized recommendations and incentives based on health risk, behavior, and readiness to change.

Platforms that use AI and machine learning to tailor outreach, resources, and nudges are seeing dramatically higher engagement and better outcomes. In fact, employers offering highly personalized wellness programs saw 70% greater engagement than those using generic programming

Personalization doesn’t just improve participation. It builds trust and delivers better long-term outcomes for your population.

4. Centralize Your Systems for Simplicity & Scale

HR teams often juggle multiple systems for assessments, incentives, coaching, and tracking. And you know what that looks like? Administrative overload, fragmented data, and limited analytic insight.

• A recent McKinsey report found that two‑thirds of employers are actively seeking integrated health and benefits platforms, because they simplify management and enhance employee outcomes.

Some of the benefits of using a single wellness platform include:

• Reduced administrative burden
• Streamlined procurement and governance
• Cohesive employee experience

FitLyfe 360 Insight: Our platform delivers a unified wellness ecosystem—combining assessments, coaching, incentives, tracking, and communication on a single platform. The result: less admin stress, better data integrity, and clearer ROI reporting.

5. Make Data-Driven Program Design the Norm

Organizations that rigorously measure the right data, such as participation by:

• Risk tier
• Engagement trends, o
• Chronic condition prevalence…

…can adapt faster and drive smarter investment decisions.

Yet despite significant investment, outcomes often lag. According to the Harvard Business Review:

• Although nearly 85% of large U.S. employers offer wellness programs, many still fall short in improving key outcomes, especially in mental health and burnout.

Choose tools that offer real‑time dashboards, risk stratification, and predictive modeling, so you’re adjusting programs based on impact, not intuition.

6. Show the Value of Your Program with Clear ROI

It’s not enough to say your wellness program works. You need to prove it with data.

One recent survey found that 72% of companies saw reduced healthcare costs after implementing wellness programs. And the average ROI is 6:1, meaning $6 in savings for every $1 spent.

That means when you fully measure outcomes, like reduced claims, absenteeism, and lifestyle-related risk factors, you’re not just reporting trends. You’re showing real financial impact.

Example Metrics:

• Reduction in prediabetes or hypertension prevalence
• Increase in active minutes or HRA completion rates
• Cost savings from reduced sick days or ER visits

This kind of ROI transparency doesn’t just validate your efforts. It empowers leadership and secures ongoing investment in your wellness ecosystem.

Work Smarter: Data-Driven Solutions for Population Health Management

Traditional approaches to population health management often fall short

Not because the goals are wrong, but because the tools, timing, and execution aren’t aligned with today’s needs.

Data-driven solutions can help you improve population health management in the following ways:

• Fix integration gaps to streamline fragmented systems
• Move beyond annual screenings with real-time, continuous data
• Personalize engagement based on health risks and behavior
• Centralize wellness functions to reduce admin burden and siloed data
• Use analytics to guide strategy and adapt programs in real time
• Prove ROI by tracking meaningful, measurable health and cost outcomes

The right data, delivered in the right way, can transform your wellness program from a checklist to a strategic advantage.

Your corporate wellness software was supposed to make things easier.

Boost engagement. Lower healthcare costs. Deliver ROI.

Instead, it’s failing you.

Why?

Most corporate wellness software is broken.

• Employees ignore it.
• HR teams wrestle with it.
• Simple tasks turn into time-consuming workarounds.
• Making changes is a tech nightmare… every… single… time.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Most corporate wellness software wasn’t built to drive real change. It was built to check a box.

It’s clunky. Generic. Outdated.

And worst of all? It’s draining your wellness budget without delivering results.

The fix…let’s break down the five biggest corporate wellness software failures + how to solve them.

1. Lack of Integration = Too Many Disconnected Tools

A 2023 Willis Towers Watson survey found that 56% of employers say their well-being programs are too fragmented…

Leading to data that’s difficult to access and low employee engagement.

Many companies end up with a patchwork of wellness tools, including

• One platform for fitness tracking
• Another for health assessments
• A different system for incentives
• A separate tool for wellness challenges

This fragmented approach creates chaos:

• HR wastes time managing multiple platforms
• Employees get frustrated juggling multiple logins.
• Data silos make it impossible to track participation, engagement, or ROI.

The fix: Choose a single, integrated solution

To streamline your corporate wellness software, choose a single platform that includes all the resources you need in one place, like:

• Biometric screenings
• Fitness challenges
• Communication tools
• Mental health resources
• Wearable integrations
• Incentive management

An all-in-one solution saves time, boosts engagement, and delivers measurable ROI

2. Poor User Experience = Low Employee Participation

Even the best corporate wellness software is useless if employees don’t engage.

A 2019 study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that the biggest UX (user experience) issues in wellness apps include:

• Frustration. 74% of users reported frustration with navigation, making it difficult to complete tasks.
• Overwhelmed. 66% said apps were too complex, leading to overwhelm and drop-off.
• Technical issues. 50% stopped using wellness apps due to technical issues like bugs and slow performance.

The fix: Prioritize UX & personalization

The best corporate wellness software should be:

• Easy to navigate, so employees actually use it.
• Personalized, so wellness feels relevant to them.
• Gamified, offering rewards, challenges, and incentives.

Bottom line? A seamless user experience (UX) = higher participation.

3. Weak Data & Reporting = No Measurable ROI

You can’t improve what you can’t measure.

Yet, many corporate wellness software platforms fail to deliver meaningful data, making it difficult to:

• Track participation & engagement
• Measure health outcomes
• Personalize wellness experiences
• Deliver targeted solutions based on employee data
• Share data with healthcare providers
• Demonstrate ROI for investing in wellness

In fact, 43% of employers report difficulty tracking wellness engagement and outcomes due to poor data analytics (Willis Towers Watson, 2023).

The fix: Improve data analytics

Your corporate wellness software should provide:

• Real-time data to monitor engagement
• Custom reports for key wellness metrics
• Clear ROI tracking to optimize your program

4. Compliance & Security Risks

Handling employee health data is a serious responsibility. But many corporate wellness software platforms fail to meet security standards.

A 2024 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report identified major security gaps in digital health platforms, including:

• HIPAA violations. Many wellness platforms fail to meet HIPAA security standards, putting employee health data at risk.
• Security failures. Weak encryption, poor access controls, and improper data sharing create cybersecurity threats.

The fix: Prioritize security & compliance

Your corporate wellness software should be:

• HIPAA-compliant to protecting employee health data.
• Equipped with enterprise-level encryption to prevent breaches.
• Designed with role-based access controls to safeguard sensitive information.

Without strong security, your wellness program could be a liability.

5. Lack of Customization = Low Engagement

No two companies have the same wellness goals. Yet, many corporate wellness software platforms force organizations into rigid structures.

This leads to:

• Low engagement. Employees don’t see relevant benefits.
• Limited incentives. Wellness rewards don’t feel personalized.
• A generic experience. The program doesn’t align with company culture.

A 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 71% of employees want:

• More mental health support
• Wellness program flexibility
• Customized incentives
• Digital well-being programs

The fix: Offer flexible, customizable wellness solutions

Look for corporate wellness software that allows:

• Flexible program design
• Custom incentives & challenges
• Branded communication strategies

Use This Checklist to Find the Best Corporate Wellness Software

The best corporate wellness software should remove barriers, not create them.

If you’re looking for corporate wellness software, use this checklist to help you find a solution that offers:

• An all-in-one platform. No more juggling multiple vendors. Get a single, integrated system.
• Personalization. Employees get tailored wellness recommendations, social challenges, and rewards.
• Real-time analytics. Clear data helps optimize programs and prove ROI.
• Security & compliance. Protect employee data with HIPAA-compliant security measures.
• Customization & flexibility. Corporate wellness software should fit your company culture, not the other way around.

Time to Upgrade Your Corporate Wellness Software?

Your corporate wellness software shouldn’t be a burden.

If it’s frustrating employees, wasting time for administrators, and failing to deliver ROI, it’s time for a change.

Is your corporate wellness software doing that? If not, it’s time for an upgrade.

The FitLyfe 360 platform makes it easy to upgrade your wellness program and has everything you need in corporate wellness software.

How’s your employee rewards program?

Maybe you’ve got it dialed in, engagement is up, healthcare costs are down. Or maybe your employee rewards program has been coasting on old-school industry trends.

If it’s been a while since you gave your employee rewards program some attention, here’s some food for thought:

Companies that invest in comprehensive wellness programs report a:

• 28% reduction in sick leave
• 26% decrease in healthcare costs

In other words: Health screenings and gym-memberships may not be enough to improve population health anymore.

you want your wellness program to produce better results, paying attention to current trends in employee rewards programs can help you make adjustments to boost ROI.

In 2025, organizations that prioritize holistic, data-driven, and personalized wellness strategies are seeing measurable gains in productivity, retention, and employee satisfaction. And that’s what you want, right?

Ready to make it happen? Check out these 5 trends shaping employee rewards programs

1. Holistic Wellness Programs

Organizations are increasingly adopting a comprehensive approach to employee well-being by integrating holistic wellness into their employee rewards programs that address:

• Physical health
• Mental health
• Emotional health
• Financial wellness

By doing so, companies create a more supportive environment that motivates employees and boosts engagement.

The holistic trend. Currently, about 85% of large and 54% of small workplaces offer wellness programs with integrated incentives.

• It’s a trend that reflects a growing emphasis on holistic wellness in employee rewards program strategies.

Action step: Evaluate your employee rewards program. Look for gaps in your program, and make changes.

• You could add incentives like discounts on fitness memberships, mental health app subscriptions, or bonuses for completing wellness challenges.
• Or you could use a comprehensive wellness platform like FitLyfe 360 to give your employee rewards program an upgrade.

2. AI Integrations

You’ve heard of AI tools like ChatGBT created by OpenAI and Gemini created by Google, right?

In just a few short years (ChatGBT launched in 2022), AI has already impacted employee rewards programs by creating a more personalized wellness experience for every participant.

AI-driven platforms can provide personalized health recommendations, virtual coaching, and real-time health monitoring.

You can use AI to support your wellness program to:

• Analyze employee health data
• Identify engagement patterns
• Create customized incentives and rewards based on individual health risks

The AI-wellness trend. An estimated 85% of large organizations with employee wellness programs offer individualized programs for:

• Weight loss
• Smoking cessation
• Coaching to support positive behavioral and lifestyle changes

This approach fosters deeper engagement and maximizes the impact of wellness incentives.

Action step: Upgrade your employee rewards program with AI-integrations that personalize wellness incentives based on:

• Individual health data
• Activity levels
• Biometric screening data
• Wearable data
• Employee preferences, making rewards more meaningful and motivating.

3. Mental Health Support

Did you know an estimated 77% of employees experience work-related stress on a regular basis?

Work-related stress comes with a price that can negatively impact your bottom line in the form of:

• Emotional exhaustion
• Lost productivity
• Irritability & anger towards co-workers and customers
• Desire to quit
• Health issues linked to chronic stress

The mental-health support trend. Work-related stress and burnout is such a widespread problem, more employers are implementing programs that offer:

• Mental health resources
• Stress management tools, resources & workshops
• Health coaching, counseling & therapy
• Options to encourage work-life balance

Action step: Are your employees stressed out? Here’s a hint: Most probably experience stress at work and home some or all of the time. But you can do something about it like:

• Offer paid mental health days
• Teach employees how to manage stress in healthy ways
• Help employees learn mindfulness, meditation & relaxation techniques
• Encourage employees to be active to reduce stress
• Fun fact: You’ll find tools and resources to support mental health in the FitLyfe 360 platform.

4. Support Diverse Life Stages

Every organization is different. Maybe you’ve got a young workforce of millennials, and some Gen Xers. Maybe the last of the Baby Boomers are part of your team. Or maybe your population is a mix of all three.

If you want to get the most out of your employee rewards program, it’s important to understand the demographics of your population.

The diverse-life stages trend. If you’re young and single, married with three kids, or edging closer to retirement, your life circumstances are going to look a lot different.

• More organizations are recognizing the diverse needs of a multigenerational workforce.
• And that means companies are expanding benefits to support employees at various life stages.

Action step: Audit your current benefits and introduce or expand resources that support employees at different life stages, such as:

• Family planning
• Elder-care support
• Fertility benefits
• Parental leave
• Financial wellness
• Menopause-related assistance

5. Flexible Work Arrangements

Blame it on COVID-19. In 2019, just 6.5% of U.S. employees worked remotely. But by 2021, an estimated 40 to 50% of employees worked remotely in most industries.

And while many employees have returned to on-site work, there’s still a demand for flexible work arrangements.

The flexible-work trend. Flexible work arrangements have become a cornerstone of employee wellness strategies, especially since the pandemic. Several recent surveys found that:

• 83% of employees consider flexible working hours important
• 58% want to work remotely at least part of the time

And you can make it happen. Employers are offering flexible work options such as”

• Remote work
• Flexible hours
• Compressed workweeks

The result: It can help your employees balance professional and personal responsibilities.

Action step: Find out if your population wants a flexible schedule or remote-work options. If they do, look for ways to make changes to scheduling and staffing to offer flexible scheduling options to support work-life balance.

Level Up Your Employee Rewards Program in 2025

Employee rewards programs are no longer a nice-to-have. They’re a strategic investment that directly impacts productivity, engagement, and your bottom line.

And these five trends are changing the way employee wellness works:

• Holistic wellness programs
• AI integrations
• Mental health support
• Support for diverse life stages
• Flexible work schedules

If you’ve already made adjustments to your employee rewards program, keep up the good work. If you think it’s time for some wellness-program upgrades, now is always the best time to get started

And we can help. The FitLyfe 360 platform makes it easy to upgrade your wellness program based on current trends and best practices. To learn more, give us a call at 800-692-4415 or request a demo.