Digestive health is rising fast on the radar of leading employers and for good reason. More than 40% of Americans experience GI symptoms daily, and it’s the #1 reason for emergency department visits. But for too long, digestive issues have been considered invisible, embarrassing, or deprioritized in benefit strategies.
US Foods is changing that.
In a recent webinar, Joe Toniolo, Senior Director of Health & Welfare Plans at US Foods, joined Morgan Vorba from Cylinder Health to share how the company tackled this overlooked condition head-on and saw significant workforce impact.
The challenge: GI costs hiding in plain sight
Joe has long been a champion for data-driven innovation in benefits. But even with multiple point solutions in play, GI was a blind spot until symptoms started bubbling up in claims data, absenteeism trends, and employee feedback.
As Joe put it:
“You don’t know what to do when something’s wrong. You’re embarrassed. You don’t talk about it. We wanted to give people a confidential, clinically credible place to go—before it snowballed into something worse.”
Why Cylinder? Right-fit support for real people
Digestive health is complex and expensive when care is delayed, fragmented, or misdirected. Some employees need nutrition and behavior change support. Others need clinical GI care. Most just need a trusted place to start before symptoms escalate into ER visits, specialist referrals, or high-cost medications.
Cylinder is a virtual digestive health benefit that connects employees to the right level of GI care at the right time, helping employers improve outcomes while reducing unnecessary healthcare spend.
Here’s how it works:
A simple, stigma-free entry point
Employees can engage privately and on their own terms, whether they are managing chronic GI conditions, recurring symptoms, or something they have never felt comfortable raising before. Earlier engagement leads to fewer downstream costs.
Personalized care, not one-size-fits-all programs
Members are triaged based on symptoms and matched with Registered Dietitians, Health Coaches, or GI clinicians. Care adjusts over time as needs change, preventing both under-treatment and over-treatment.
Clinical and lifestyle care working together
Nutrition, behavior change, symptom tracking, and clinical oversight are coordinated in one platform. This integrated approach helps reduce avoidable ER visits, unnecessary procedures, and inappropriate medication use.
Designed for real-world workforces
Virtual access, mobile tools, and asynchronous support make care accessible for shift-based, distributed, and deskless employees. This was a key driver of engagement for the US Foods population.
Measurable impact for employers
By supporting employees earlier and guiding them to the right care pathway, Cylinder helps employers lower GI-related utilization while improving quality of life, productivity, and overall benefit ROI.
This right-fit care model is what enabled US Foods to engage thousands of employees, normalize digestive health support, and deliver meaningful health and cost outcomes at scale.
The results?
- 94% of employees reported symptom relief.
- 100% reported improved quality of life.
- Nearly 3,000 appointments booked with Registered Dietitians, Health Coaches, and GI specialists.
- 6x higher engagement than typical GI solutions.
“When people feel better, they show up. They’re more productive. They start caring about other aspects of their health, too. It’s a ripple effect,” Joe shared.
Making benefits easy to engage
Joe credits much of the program’s success to simple, culturally aware communication: postcards sent home, direct messaging from the Benefit Center, and trusted HR ambassadors. He also recommended integrating digestive health into broader messaging, like pairing it with mental health or weight management resources, to help employees see the full value of what’s offered.
“We say ‘Great food made easy.’ I say: great benefits made easy. That’s how you drive adoption.”
Digestive health as a strategic lever
For employers recalibrating their benefit spend, digestive health is no longer optional. It’s a rising cost driver tied to ER visits, medication use, and missed work. It also impacts mental health, sleep, and stress, making it a whole-person issue.
Joe’s advice?
“Doing nothing is wrong. Even a pilot or regional rollout can help you evaluate the impact. And you’re showing your workforce that you care.”
Want to learn more?
Watch the full webinar to hear how US Foods is tackling GI costs, improving engagement, and reducing friction in the employee journey—or download the US Foods case study to see the outcomes and implementation details.
