AT&T’s Challenge: Control Specialty Care Spend Without Sacrificing Quality
With over 230,000 employees and an aging workforce, AT&T faces healthcare cost trends well into the double digits. Specialty care, from knee replacements to cancer treatments and infusions, accounts for more than 50% of total healthcare spending.
For years, AT&T relied on a consumerism-based approach: they added point solutions and educated employees about shopping for care. The strategy produced some wins, but ultimately fell short because in healthcare, there is not a strong correlation between cost and quality.
“It naturally drove the question: What comes next? It caused us to go back to the drawing board,” he said.
Ultimately, the AT&T benefits team determined that quality would be its next North Star and began searching for a specialty care solution.
The Solution: AT&T Chooses Lantern to Guide Employees to Best-in-Class Surgery and Cancer Care
AT&T launched Lantern’s Specialty Care Platform in 2024 for all plannable surgical procedures, selecting Lantern for clinical quality, broad geographic coverage, and proven hard-dollar ROI.
“As an employer or as a buyer, you really need to press your vendors on how they define quality, because it’s not all the same,” Jackson said.
“Lantern competitors have a less rigorous take on vetting. That matters if we’re truly going to align to quality. It has to be the most complete definition.”
With cancer being its top cost driver, AT&T then launched Lantern’s cancer care solution in 2025. One-on-one Oncology Nurse Navigators help with personalized matching to the best facility and oncologist, while the AccessHope partnership includes expert review by NCI oncology specialists.
“The thoughtfulness of how you all have set up the care teams that surround members is really good. Whether it’s cancer or surgery, people just want to feel like advocates are there for them.”
“Lantern competitors have a less rigorous take on vetting. That matters if we’re truly going to align to quality. It has to be the most complete definition.”
AT&T’s Results with Lantern
- $62.53 PEPM savings with 84% hard-dollar surgery savings
- 9/10 members recommend their specialist
- $10K average savings per active cancer case
- 58% average savings vs. carrier
Learn how Lantern can help you control the costs of surgery and cancer care without sacrificing quality.
