Thryve & TK: Improving Mental Health

Mental health has become one of the most pressing challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. In Germany, Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), the country’s largest public health insurer, recognized the need for innovative solutions to support its members beyond traditional care models. To do this, TK partnered with Thryve to bring scalable, wearable-powered prevention into everyday life.

The Partnership:

Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) insures more than 11 million members and is a leader in digital innovation among statutory health insurers. With the launch of its TK-Coach app, TK set out to integrate proactive health support directly into its members’ daily routines.

To strengthen its offering around mental health prevention, TK collaborated with Thryve to incorporate continuous data insights and digital incentives into the app experience, bridging the gap between lifestyle behaviors and long-term well-being.

The Challenge: 

Mental health problems such as depression, burnout, and chronic stress are increasing concerns across all age groups. Early detection is crucial, yet traditional approaches, like clinical screenings, self-assessments, or sporadic doctor visits, are:

• Often stigmatized, leading to low participation
• Too infrequent to detect a gradual health decline
• Resource-intensive, making them hard to scale across millions of insured members

TK’s challenge was clear: How can mental health be supported in a way that is continuous, engaging, and accessible for all members without overburdening healthcare providers?

The Solution: Wearable Insights + Digital Coaching

Together with Thryve, TK integrated a data-driven prevention model into the TK-Coach app, combining continuous wearable insights with gamified engagement.

Key elements included:

• Wearable Data Integration: Using Thryve’s SDK and APIs, TK-Coach connected seamlessly with hundreds of popular wearables to capture sleep, activity, and recovery patterns.
• Mental Health Score: Derived from key behavioral markers, the score provided members with a clear picture of their well-being over time.
• Badges & Rewards: A digital incentive system motivated members to maintain healthy habits through challenges and recognition.
• Privacy & Compliance: Thryve ensured all data handling complied with strict GDPR requirements, guaranteeing trust and security.

By embedding these features, TK-Coach transformed into a proactive companion that encouraged users to take care of their mental health daily.

The Results: 

The partnership showed how insurers can move beyond reactive treatment to proactive, data-driven prevention. While full results are detailed in the downloadable case study, some highlights include:

• Increased engagement within the TK-Coach app thanks to gamification
• Proof that wearable-derived metrics can reliably reflect mental health risk factors
• A scalable framework to support millions of insured members simultaneously

Mental health care doesn’t have to begin in a doctor’s office. By integrating wearable insights and digital incentives, TK and Thryve demonstrated how prevention can be embedded into daily life, helping members build resilience before crises emerge.

Curious about the full details and outcomes?
Download the full TK Case Study PDF to explore deeper insights, learnings, and impact metrics.

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