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gimbhi · 3 years ago

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Mental, Behavioral, & Brain Health Startups: September 2020 Market Update

Medium Post

Original Website Post

Author: Shivan Bhavnani

MOVE FAST & BREAK THINGS?

It’s no secret that demand for mental and behavioral healthcare skyrocketed in 2020. MDLIVE, one of the largest telehealth companies in the U.S., reported year-over-year growth of more than 500% for behavioral health. Naturally, investor interest in the mental, behavioral, and brain health technology space exploded as well. More than 100 startups in the space attracted $1.37 billion of funding in 2020 so far. If you’d like to access more detailed data, please email me at [email protected] to discuss. As GIMBHI’s June 2020 report mentioned, funding for mental, behavioral, and brain health startups will likely surpass $1.5 billion by the end of the year.

Over the last four months alone, investors poured roughly ~$450 million of funding into mental, behavioral, and brain health startups. Digital health exits have heated up as well in 2020, with 9 digital health startups filing for an IPO over the last 14 months. Hims, a telemedicine startup that sell personal care products targeted at millennials, just announced that it was going public via SPAC.

However, is this all moving too fast?

Dr. Ravi Shah published an excellent piece in JAMA titled “The Rise of Venture Capital Investing in Mental Health.” Shah points out correctly that “Silicon Valley’s motto for success, “move fast and break things,” has led companies such as Uber and Theranos to break laws and cut corners. This ethos is not compatible with the Hippocratic doctrine of primum non nocere […] Quality assurance is needed not just for products (eg, digital therapeutic tools) but also for services rendered by companies that connect clinicians with patients.”

However, VC-led innovation in healthcare has its benefits, as Shah points out. The fact is there is a massive imbalance in the supply and demand of mental healthcare in the U.S. and the rest of the world. SAMHSA predicts by 2025 the U.S. will have shortage of over 230,000 therapists, psychiatrists, counselors, psychologists, and social workers.

People need mental healthcare and there aren’t enough mental health professionals. Innovation and technology can certainly help correct this imbalance. The main source of capital for innovation is venture capital. However, it can’t be stressed enough that the stakes in the healthcare industry are very different from the pure technology industry. As a society, we can’t afford to move fast and break things, when people’s physical and mental health hang in the balance. Innovation in healthcare needs to approach growth more carefully.

In Dr. Shah’s words, “As the demand for digital solutions to mental health concerns continues to rise, we will have to wrestle with this question: can VC-backed mental health start-ups move fast without breaking anything?” Read the piece here ■

Shiv Bhavnani, CAIA

Founder of GIMBHI

[email protected]

MENTAL, BEHAVIORAL, & BRAIN HEALTH STARTUP NEWS

LIFESPEAK

On September 15, LifeSpeak, Inc. announced a $42M growth equity investment from RoyNat Capital, Kensington Capital Partners, and Round13 Growth Fund. LifeSpeak is a platform that helps organizations provide mental health/well-being resources to employees. Since 2004, LifeSpeak has implemented itself as a digital health provider for numerous North American companies across dozens of industries ranging from financial services to public entities.This recent investment will be used to accelerate LifeSpeak’s global growth.

LifeSpeak is based in Toronto, Canada, and run by CEO Michael Held. Total funding is CA$42M and notable investors are the aforementioned RoyNat Capital, Kensington Capital Partners, and Round13 Capital.[1]

OWL INSIGHTS

On September 8, Portland-based Owl Insights announced that it raised financing led by Ascension Ventures and Blue Venture Fund. According to Pitchbook, it was a $15.48 million round. Other investors in this round include First Trust Capital, Portland Seed Fund, and the Entrepreneurs’ Funds.

A managing director at Ascension Ventures mentioned that they validated the need for Owl’s products by surveying Ascension’s hospital partners. Ascension has more than $800 million in assess under management.

Owl Insights offers a way to integrate measurement-based care and analytics into existing behavioral health provider workflows. The company has raised almost $23 million in funds so far.[2]

ONCOMFORT

On September 9, Belgium-based Oncomfort announced that it raised $11.8 million in Series A funding. The company will use the funding to develop a new method of relieving pain and anxiety with VR.

Swiss Debiopharm and the French Credit Mutuel Innovation led the round. WING also participated in the round.

Belgium-based Oncomfort has raised $13.7 million to date.

SONDE HEALTH

On August 25, Sonde Health, a vocal biomarker startup, acquired NeuroLex Laboratories. The acquisition brings together two vocal biomarker companies.

According to the company, “Sonde’s proprietary technology works by sensing and analyzing subtle changes in the voice due to changes in a person’s physiology. The company’s respiratory and depression health checks are available today.” [3]

GGV Capital, Mass Challenge, TMC Innovation, and Voiceamp were investors in NeuroLex, prior to the acquisition.

According to multiple sources, Boston-based Sonde Health raised $16 million in equity in 2019 from Evidity Health Capital, MP Healthcare, M Ventures, Neoteny, and PureTech Health. According to Pitchbook, the post-money valuation was $28.4 million in 2019.

UHC ACCELERATOR

On August 31, UnitedHealthcare’s Accelerator (powered by Techstars) announced its 2020 Class. Out of 10 companies, 5 of these startups have services or products that address mental health.

Kiddo: connected care system for better pediatric health delivery

The monitoring system measures children’s sleep quality and stress levels.

Total raised to date: $2M

Other VC Investors: Wavemaker

Kintsugi: Detecting clinical depression and anxiety using machine learning and voice biomarkers

Vincere Health: Using sensor data, incentives, and counseling to change health behaviors

Vincere provides a platform to help people quit smoking.

Other VC Investors: Purpose Built Ventures

OptionsMD: Using data to connect people to treatments that better fit their lifestyle

OptionsMD helps people find the right antidepressants among other psychiatric drugs.

Spora Health: Culture-centered care for people of color

The platform provides clinically validated mental health assessment tools and mindfulness programs. [4]

SANA HEALTH

Sana Health, a startup led by Richard Hanbury that develops audio-visual masks to treat chronic pain and mental health issues, raised $5.8 million in new seed funding, from Grey House Partners, Startup Health, and Founders Fund, and other investors in August, according to the company. The company’s goal for the round is $9 million, and the round is still open to investors.

Recently, Sana Health’s product was approved the FDA for sale as a “general wellness” device. Sana is conducting 100+ person studies at Duke University for Fibromyalgia and the Mt. Sinai Health System in New York for Neuropathic pain. According to Sana, a pilot study of 20 patients in Colorado showed that Sana’s device was 5 times more effective than Lyrica (used to treat fibromyalgia) with no side effects.

APTIHEALTH

On September 1, aptihealth announced Dale Dutile as CFO. Dutile is a healthcare investor, most recently serving as a managing director at Boston Company Asset Management. He was a portfolio manager on the US opportunistic value team, overseeing investments in the healthcare sector. Before that, Dutile led healthcare equity research efforts at MFS Investment Management. Dutile holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Boston College and an MBA from MIT Sloan.

Aptihealth’s platform provides a behavioral health assessment, followed by a consultation with a health provider, allowing primary care doctors and mental health providers to connect to accelerate treatment. The company has raised $2.6 million to date from the private equity firm, Hudson River Capital Holdings. [5]

EQUOO

One of PsycApps products, eQuoo, was selected as Unilever’s Mental Health app for its marketing campaign for CLEAR haircare products. According to TechCrunch, PsycApps “is a digital mental health startup that is using gamification, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), positive psychology and AI to treat mental illness, using evidence-based features. It has achieved a top rating at ORCHA, the leading health app assessment platform, and is also available through the GP EMIS data bank, meaning that NHS doctors can now refer their patients to eQuoo to improve their mental health and well-being.”

NEUROFLOW

On September 29, Neuroflow announced that it secured a $1.5 million contract with the U.S. Air Force to expand its platform. According to the press release, “NeuroFlow began working with AFWERX, a United States Air Force program with the goal of fostering a culture of innovation within the service, in late 2019 after being awarded an initial trial contract.”

Philadelphia-based NeuroFlow has raised $11 million so far. Investors in its most recent round included AVG, Dreamit, and Builders VC.

NALURI

On September 1, Malaysia-based mental health startup Naluri announced a partnership with Malaysia Aviation Group. Naluri will provide MAG’s employees with psychological health support during the pandemic.

The company connects employees or insurance policy holders with psychologists. The company raised $2.8 million to date from investors including 3T Venture Capital, RHL Ventures, TH Capital, Global Founders Capital, and 500 Startups.

HEADSPACE & CALM

In an excellent piece by Herbert Lui on Medium, he discusses the competition between two popular meditation apps — Headspace and Calm.[6]

Both companies have established partnerships with companies, but Headspace is pursuing insurance coverage for new product: Headspace Health. Headspace Health aims to develop new treatments for the management of chronic conditions. Happify is another company that started off as a wellness app, but is now building digital therapeutics.

PEAR THERAPEUTICS

On September 21, Pear Therapeutics announced that reSET and reSET-O had been added to PreferredOne’s medical benefits as covered products for its members. reSET, the first prescription digital therapeutic to receive authorization from the FDA, treats substance use disorder, while reSET-O treats opioid use disorder. [7]

COGNOA

On September 23, Cognoa, a startup developing therapeutic solutions for children with autism, announced that it beat all FDA targets in its pivotal study. The pivotal study involved 425 participants — aged between 18 to 72 months, and it ran from July 2019 to May 2020.

Cognoa will submit its autism spectrum disorder diagnostic to the FDA for clearance. Cognoa will be submitting a de novo request for the diagnostic. Cognoa was granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the FDA in 2018.

Cognoa also appointed David Happel as CEO, replacing Brent Vaughan. Happel joins from Chrono Therapeutics, where he was President and CEO. The company also appointed Colleen Kraft as the company’s senior medical director of clinical adoption. Kraft will help the broad adoption of Cognoa’s digital therapeutics by pediatricians.

Palo Alto-based Cognoa has raised roughly $63 million of capital to date. Investors include Morningside Group and Social Innovation Ventures. [8]

HIMS

On October 1, it was announced that Hims, a DTC company selling health products and services, going public through a SPAC.

The company will be valued at $1.6 billion, and will raise $280 million through a merger with a SPAC managed by Oaktree Capital.

Relevantly, Hims launched a mental health platform in response to the pandemic. mental health care among the children of workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.”

2MORROW

On September 23, 2Morrrow, a startup that develop digital health treatments for nicotine addiction, weight, behavioral health concerns, and chronic pain, demonstrated the efficacy of its nicotine addiction digital health solution.

“2morrow’s digital health approach to behavior modification continues to be shown effective for helping smokers quit in a large randomized clinical trial (RCT) conducted by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The trial followed 2,415 participants for 12 months to determine the efficacy of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based app for smoking cessation vs an app based on US clinical practice guidelines (USCPG). ACT app users not only were more engaged and satisfied, but at 12 months, were 50% more likely to quit than those using the smartphone application based on the USCPG.”

CUREAPP

On August 21, CureApp, Inc. received regulatory authorization for the production and distribution of the first Asian therapeutics app. The app, called “CureApp SC Nicotine Addiction Treatment App and CO Checker”, is a prescription medical device that aids patients that seek treatment for quitting smoking. The product enables patients to better understand how they can tackle nicotine addiction, and additional features provide doctors with insight into the patient’s progress toward their goals. The app works in hand with a portable Carbon Monoxide (CO) checker so that both the patient and doctor can monitor how much CO is in the patient’s breaths.

CureApp is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Their CEO is Kohta Satake and the company has managed to raise ¥4.2B, or roughly $40M USD in total funding. Some investors include Dai-ichi Life, Koshidaka Holdings, and Beyond Next Ventures.[9]

KOOTH

On September 2, Kooth (LSE: KOO) was admitted to be traded on the AIM (Alternative Investment Market) of the London Stock Exchange. Kooth aims to create seamless access to online mental health services for a variety of groups, ranging from young people to employers. The product’s usage of data and outcomes helps personalize each user’s experience in terms of needs and treatments for various mental health challenges.

Kooth is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and is led by CEO Tim Barker. Kooth was valued at £66M at IPO, and traded at £2.29 per share when the IPO released on September 3, 2020.[10]

LIMBIX AND BEHAVR

On September 2, adolescent digital therapeutics developer Limbix and VR digital therapeutics firm BehaVR, LLC announced a collaboration to advance behavioral health using virtual reality. This collaboration aims to extend the impact of virtual reality in patient treatments mainly through the BehaVR platform. This modified product will then be distributed through Limbix’s existing global distribution network.

Limbix is based in San Francisco, California and is led by CEO Ben Lewis. LImbix has raised $16M in total funding, and some notable investors include NextGen Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, GSR Ventures, and Storm Ventures.

BehaVR is headquartered in the United States and is run by founder Aaron Gani and Senator Bill Frist, MD. They have raised $1M in total funding and some notable investors include Arkiteckt Ventures, City Light Capital, and Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation. at £66M at IPO, and traded at £2.29 per share when the IPO released on September 3, 2020.[11]

CUREAPP

NEUROSIGMA

On September 21, NeuroSigma, Inc. received bridge equity financing from Checkmate Capital Group. NeuroSigma is a medical device company that uses its Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (TNS) technology to treat various challenges such as epilepsy, depression, ADHD, and PTSD. This investment intends to help NeuroSigma promote itself from a clinical-stage entity to a commercial-level company. NeuroSigma has received funding from the US NIH and accredited investors, followed by Checkmate Capital’s investment. Additionally, Checkmate Capital will assist NeuroSigma with commercial initiatives, international licensing, partnerships, and other commercial-stage transitional assistance.

NeuroSigma is based in Los Angeles, California, and is run by CEO Leon Ekchian. NeuroSigma’s total funding is $13.4M.[12]

MENTALHAPPY

On September 2, MentalHappy announced the launch of its equity crowdfunding campaign. MentalHappy is a social network that uses positive interactions and support systems to help people improve emotional wellbeing. The platform enables people to have access to a secure space to talk about individual daily challenges and hardships, and the space enables fellow users to positively reinforce support for those who disclose their challenges. By enabling crowdfunding, MentalHappy hopes to increase access for investment in the company, especially for certain demographics such as women and minorities that have historically lacked access to investment opportunities.

MentalHappy is run by CEO Tamar Blue and is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has received $131.6K in total funding and some notable investors (besides the crowdfunding) include Y Combinator and MergeLane.[13]

BIOFOURMIS

On September 3, Biofourmis secured Series C funding to the tune of $100M. Biofourmis, a biotechnology company that emphasizes personalized care using digital therapeutics, harnesses data mainly from patient physiology in order to help healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies treat patients more effectively. The various levels of the product enable providers to efficiently manage, intervene, and treat chronic patients. Some of their collaborators include Novartis, Chugai, Mayo Clinic, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Biofourmis is headquartered in Boston, and is led by CEO Kuldeep Singh Rajput. They have raised $143.6M in total funding, and some notable investors include the SoftBank Vision Fund, Aviva Ventures, Openspace Ventures, and Sequoia Capital.[14] We didn’t include this funding in our 2020 funding volume because Biofourmis is not focused on mental, behavioral, or brain health.

DARTMOUTH STUDY

On September 25, a study lead by Mikio Obuchi, a PhD student at Dartmouth, showed that smartphones can predict mood and emotions. “In the research, data from phone usage was analyzed alongside fMRI scans to confirm that passively collected information can mirror activity in the brain linked to emotion. Predictions based solely on the phone data matched the brain scans with 80 percent accuracy.”[15]

Author: Shivan Bhavnani

[1] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lifespeak-announces-42-million-equity-investment-to-accelerate-growth-of-digital-mental-health-and-wellness-platform-301131132.html

[2] https://www.prweb.com/releases/owl_insights_secures_strategic_investment_co_led_by_ascension_ventures_blue_venture_fund/prweb17376102.htm

[3] https://www.prweb.com/releases/mentalhappy_launches_equity_crowdfunding_campaign_to_empower_women_and_minorities_to_invest/prweb17366359.htm

[4] https://www.techstars.com/newsroom/announcing-the-2020-class-of-the-unitedhealthcare-accelerator-powered-by-techstars?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=

[5] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aptihealth-announces-the-appointment-of-dale-dutile-as-chief-financial-officer-301122161.html

[6] https://marker.medium.com/how-headspace-is-winning-the-cutthroat-meditation-app-war-c6680dbf0ce8

[7] https://peartherapeutics.com/pear-therapeutics-and-preferredone-announce-broad-based-patient-access-and-reimbursement-for-reset-reset-o-for-people-with-substance-use-disorder-and-opioid-use-disorder/

[8] https://cognoa.com/cognoa-seeks-fda-clearance-for-breakthrough-digital-autism-diagnostic-device-after-successful-pivotal-study/

[9] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200826005812/en/Asia%E2%80%99s-Prescription-%E2%80%9CDigital-Therapeutic%E2%80%9D-Approved-Japan-Nicotine

[10] https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/KOO/admission-to-aim-and-first-day-of-dealings/14672174

[11] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200902005909/en/BehaVR-and-Limbix-Partner-to-Advance-Behavioral-Health-in-Virtual-Reality

[12] https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/09/21/2096645/0/en/NeuroSigma-Receives-Bridge-Financing-from-Checkmate-Capital.html

[13] https://www.prweb.com/releases/mentalhappy_launches_equity_crowdfunding_campaign_to_empower_women_and_minorities_to_invest/prweb17366359.htm

[14] https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiejennings/2020/09/02/softbank-leads-100-million-investment-in-ai-and-digital-therapeutics-startup-biofourmis/#5e5ca25c5f32

[15] https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2020/09/research-uses-smartphones-predict-brain-function-mood

Subscribe to our research & market intelligence, and join our network. Feel free to reach out to our founder, Shivan Bhavnani ([email protected]) with any questions, comments, or ideas.

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drbenreebs · 4 years ago

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Why must one use telehealth services? What is the use of the same?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth and telemedicine were buzzwords. The two words are sometimes used interchangeably, but they vary somewhat in their meanings. If you're a patient or a supplier, knowing what each applies to and what their programs provide can be helpful. So we're going to dive in.

Portland telehealth doctor

will include all the aforementioned examples of telemedicine, plus events such as:

A primary care doctor transfers patient evaluation notes, medical records, and X-rays via a secure electronic messaging system to a specialist.

An association that delivers continuing medical education seminars to physicians residing in remote areas

A team of physicians, nurses, and experts meeting to organize the treatment of a patient through a video network.Benefits for the patientsTelehealth appointments prove to be cheaper for patients and more comfortable. Without driving to access doctors that could be hours out, they may still get treatment.

You must book an appointment on a preferred day with your Portland telehealth doctor.

You get to prevent yourself from sitting in waiting rooms.

Stop exposure to other patients' pathogens, such as COVID-19,

Receive therapy without taking time off from work

Using gadgets, such as mobile phones and tablets, to get treatment without any hassles at your favorable time.

When one might not be physically fit a meet with an online provider can always prove to be the best.

#doctor #telehealthdoctor #portland #drbenreebs #bestserviceprovider

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lauramalchowblog · 5 years ago

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9 Healthcare Companies Who Changed the 2010s

By ANDY MYCHKOVSKY

In order to celebrate the next decade (although the internet is confused whether its actually the end of the decade…), we’re taking a step back and listing our picks for the 9 most influential healthcare companies of the 2010s. If your company is left off, there’s always next decade… But honestly, we tried our best to compile a unique listing that spanned the gamut of redefining healthcare for a variety of good and bad reasons. Bon appétit!

1. Epic Systems Corporation

The center of the U.S. electronic medical record (EMR) universe resides in Verona, Wisconsin. Population of 13,166. The privately held company created by Judith “Judy” Faulkner in 1979 holds 28% of the 5,447 total hospital market in America. Drill down into hospitals with over 500-beds and Epic reigns supreme with 58% share. Thanks to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and movement away from paper records (Meaningful Use), Epic has amassed annualized revenue of $2.7 billion. That was enough to hire the architects of Disneyland to design their Google-like Midwestern campus. The other amazing fact is that Epic has grown an average of 14% per year, despite never raising venture capital or using M&A to acquire smaller companies.

Over the years, Epic has been criticized for being expensive, non-interoperable with other EMR vendors, and the partial cause for physician burnout. Expensive is probably an understatement. For example, Partners HealthCare (to be renamed Mass General Brigham) alone spent $1.2 billion to install Epic, which included hiring 600 employees and consultants just to build and implement the system and onboard staff. With many across healthcare calling for medical record portability that actually works (unlike health information exchanges), you best believe America’s 3rd richest woman will have ideas how the country moves forward with digital medical records.

My very first interview out of undergrad was for a position at Epic. I chose a different path, but have always respected and followed the growth of the company over the past decade. In a world where medical data seems like tomorrow’s oil, a number of articles have speculated whether Apple or Alphabet would ever acquire Epic? I don’t buy it. I’m thinking it’s much more likely that 2020 is the first year they acquire a company. How you doing Athenahealth?

2. Theranos

No one can argue Theranos didn’t change the game in healthcare forever… for the worse. I do my best to give all healthcare founders the benefit of a doubt, but Elizabeth Holmes and Ramesh Balwani make that nearly impossible. Turns out that an all-star cast of geopolitical juggernauts on your Board of Directors and the black turtleneck of Steve Jobs is not the recipe for success. Founded by 19-year Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos raised over $700 million at a peak valuation of $9 billion. In retrospect, they have become the poster-child for Silicon Valley’s over-promise and under-deliver mantra. The only problem is that instead of food delivery, their failures resulted in invalid blood testing that could’ve really hurt people.

Despite this failure, the mission and purpose would’ve been tremendously impressive. Cheaper blood tests that require only 1/100 to 1/1,000 the amount of blood that LabCorp or Quest Diagnostics needed. I think the craziest part of the whole saga was that seemingly sophisticated healthcare leaders thirsted for the new technology to beat competitors and improve patient convenience. Before the technology was proved defunct, Theranos convinced Safeway to invest $350 million to retrofit 800 locations with clinics that would offer in-store blood tests. Theranos convinced Walgreens to invest $140 million to develop a partnership that would help beat CVS. Theranos partnered with Cleveland Clinic to test its technology and was working with AmeriHealth Caritas and Capital BlueCross to become their preferred lab provider.

To be clear, they weren’t the first, and won’t be the last healthcare company to fail. I only hope that this extremely well documented (thanks Hollywood) experience has re-focused founders and investors towards building sustainable growth companies that actually help patients live higher quality lives, not just make people money as quickly as possible.

3. One Medical

Thanks to Tom Lee and the One Medical crew, primary care is now investable. Whether you’re talking about private equity or venture capitalists, many have dived head first into the space in search of value-based care treasure. One Medical is the most well-known tech-enabled primary care practice, with 72 clinic locations across seven states, and new locations opening in Portland, Orange County, and Atlanta. The Carlyle Group liked the company so much that it invested $350 million in August 2018, at a reported $1.5 billion valuation. This has led to a number of primary care focused companies (ChenMed, Iora Health, Forward) to amass significant valuations that historically would’ve seemed optimistic. However, the elevation of the primary care provider from the “punter” to the “quarterback” of a patient’s medical journey has lifted all boats.

Interestingly, One Medical has unique differentiators over the traditional primary care competitors. For example, One Medical limits doctors to seeing 16 patients a day, versus the average physician seeing 20-30 patients a day. One Medical also built its own medical records in hopes of a more user friendly experience, instead of outsourcing to practice-based EMRs. One Medical charges $199 annually to each patient to help make up for lower volume, and in return provides same-day appointments, onsite lab draws, and a slick app that allows online appointment scheduling and telehealth consults with providers 24/7. They are also adding capabilities and services to cover mental health and pediatric services to increase revenue.

This change is remarkable. Historically, primary care has been a low-margin business with high administrative and staffing costs, along with physician burnout and regulatory burden. One Medical pioneered the concept of a more modern primary care experience, and I am looking forward to their initial public offering (IPO) targeted for early 2020 and whatever Tom Lee is cooking up at Galileo.

4. Centene

Centene is my favorite health plan to study over the past decade. You would never know that the second largest publicly-traded company headquartered in Missouri was originally started by Elizabeth “Betty” Brinn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Under-hyped, which is rare in healthcare nowadays, Centene has quietly grown to become the largest player in both the Medicaid managed care and Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges. Under Michael Neidorff’s leadership, Centene now serves 32 states with over 15 million lives and 53,600 employees. They were most recently ranked #51 on the Fortune 500 list. In addition, they are about to grow with the $17.3 billion acquisition of WellCare. Here’s a brief rundown of some major events that demonstrate why I’m so bullish on Centene dominating another decade:

April 2018: WellCare and Centene awarded Medicaid managed care contracts in Florida.

July 2018: Centene acquires Fidelis Care and their 1.6 million New Yorkers for $3.75 billion. This single-handedly gives Centene the leading Medicaid share in the state.

September 2018: WellCare acquires Meridian Health Plan and their 1.1 million lives in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, for $2.5 billion.

February 2019: Centene and WellCare awarded Medicaid managed care contracts in North Carolina.

December 2019: WellCare awarded Medicaid managed care contract in WellCare (re-procurement underway)

In addition, Texas Medicaid is set to award their STAR contracts for 3.4 million lives between Medicaid and CHIP, of which Centene already won a contract to serve the STAR+PLUS (aged, blind, and disabled population). Seems like a pretty solid guess that Centene will fair pretty well in the STAR RFP rankings. Next decade, I look for Centene to significantly increase their efforts to recruit Medicare Advantage (MA) lives, and I wouldn’t bet against them.

5. Mylan

One word. EpiPen. Mylan, the $10 billion market cap pharmaceutical manufacturer and producer of the epinephrine auto-injector product, EpiPen, became the lightning rod in a consumer and political drug pricing debate in 2016. For those who were living under a rock, here’s the quick recap. Epinephrine auto-injectors are used to treat anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction). Prior to 2016, Mylan held absolute dominant share of the auto-injector market, hovering around 90% for the first half of the 2010s. The only real competitor was Adrenaclick, produced by Lineage Therapeutics, but they were barely considered a competitor despite having cheaper prices. In 2016, news outlets caught wind of Mylan’s 500% list price increase over a decade ($100 to $600) and a nationwide discussion about drug prices began.

If you asked the Mylan CEO, Heather Bresch, she would tell you that the reason brand EpiPen’s list price increased 500 percent over 7 years is because they invested billions of dollars to significantly increase access in schools and employers across America. These efforts increased the number of EpiPen prescriptions in the U.S. from 2.5 million to more than 3.5 million between 2011 and 2015. She would also tell you that there is a big difference between wholesale acquisition cost price (list price) and net price. This part is often misunderstood by media. The net price takes into account discounts, prescription savings cards, and rebates that Mylan provides to purchasers (PBMs, Employers, Plans). The exact negotiated rebate or discount is different by line of business and organization. However, safe to say that Mylan made a good amount of profit with increasing volume.

At the end of the day, Mylan settled with the U.S. Justice Department for $465 million over claims it overcharged the government. Mylan kept their $600 list price brand EpiPen product with rebates, and added a generic version of EpiPen for $300 list price without rebates and requiring commercial insurance. According to a GoodRx analysis in 2018, the epinephrine auto-injector market now looks much different, with 60% of the market moving to the generic version of EpiPen, 10% of the market remaining with brand EpiPen, and 30% of the market switching to the generic version of Adrenaclick. However, whether generic or brand EpiPen, Mylan makes strong profits and American will continue to discuss the best strategy forward to control drug spend.

6. Evolent Health

First let me caveat. I’ve worked for Evolent Health for the past 5 years and seen it grow from a Series B startup to a publicly-traded company (NSYE: EVH). However, the reason they’re on this list is because Evolent Health has forever changed the game for future value-based care startups. When Frank Williams, Seth Blackley, and Tom Peterson founded the company in 2011 with the help of UPMC Health Plan and The Advisory Board Company, concepts like the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) did not even exist. Fast forward a decade later, and Evolent Health now serves approximately 3.7 million lives across 35 different U.S. healthcare markets. The mission of Evolent Health is to, “Change the health of a nation, by changing the way healthcare is delivered.” To do this, you need both the technology, clinical, financial, and operational capacity to empower providers to confidently move away from fee-for-service towards fee-for-value.

With the implementation of MACRA and the continued perseverance of CMS under this new administration, value-based care is still full steam ahead (good luck incoming CMMI Director, Brad Smith). Despite the naysayers of value-based care, find me a better way to control medical inflation that is accepted by nearly all healthcare institutions and doesn’t negatively impact patient outcomes, and we can talk. I will mention the importance of “significant” downside risk to actually change provider culture, strategy, and operations. I don’t want the primary purpose of setting up a clinically integrated network (CIN) to be negotiating higher fee-for-service commercial rates for independent physicians aligned to tertiatiary academic medical centers.

I wholeheartedly believe that providers will continue to seek partner options (not vendors with high fees independent of performance) who are not wholly-owned by the large for-profit health plans (Optum…). Of all the available options, Evolent Health is the market leader across a variety of areas. In 2020, I look forward to watching how the 3,000+ Evolenteers push the boundaries of downside risk value-based care with both payers and providers.

7. Livongo

To me, Livongo represents Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. Not the blood-thirsty character towards the end, but the only person to bring back dragons to the world of Westeros. Except in this example, the dragon is a successful digital health IPO. This was a big deal. Going public rewarded early investors who believed in the nascent digital health and chronic condition space. It allowed public investors an opportunity to peak under the hood of the financials and get comfortable with future economics of the industry. And it provided a legitimacy and a peer valuation to other leading digital health companies like Omada Health. All-in-all, 207,000 members use Livongo for Diabetes management solutions, including a connected glucose monitor, unlimited test strips, and personalized health coaching. This number is expected to grow significantly, with the announcement of a new, two-year diabetes contract with the BlueCross BlueShield Federal Employee Program (FEP). They anticipate the partnership will add an additional $50-60 million in revenue across 2020 and 2021

Livongo has done a brilliant job marketing itself as building a full-stop solution for the 147 million Americans with a chronic condition. According to their estimates, their immediately addressable markets for managing diabetes and hypertension represents a $46.7 billion opportunity. Digging into the unit economics, Livongo estimates that diabetes is worth $900 per patient per year and $468 per patient per year. Since they’re focused on chronic conditions, the business model is subscription-based. In the Q3 quarterly report, Livongo provided full year guidance of $168.5 million on the low end and $169 million on the high end. In either scenario, FY2019 Adjusted EBITDA is projected to lose around $26 million for the year.

Livongo has smartly started with addressing diabetes, given the downstream health impacts of mismanagement of blood sugar and the ability to impact spend with regular insulin, diet, and exercise. They also are very smart to efficiently sell into self-funded large employers using existing channel partners like Express Scripts, CVS, Health Care Services Corporation (HCSC), Anthem, and Highmark BCBS. I know that the stock is down 35% since IPO, but I fundamentally believe chronic conditions are not going away and over time, Livongo will add supplementary clinical programs to expand revenue growth.

8. Optum

UnitedHealth Group is the single largest healthcare company in the world with a $280 billion market cap. It owns UnitedHealthcare, the country’s largest private insurer serving Medicare Advantage, managed Medicaid, employer-sponsored insurance, and ACA exchanges. And yet in 2020, more than 50% of the company’s earning and $112 billion in revenue will come from the lesser known side of the business, Optum. It is difficult to describe Optum because they do so much, but they technically split their business into three units: OptumHealth, OptumInsight and Optum Rx. OptumHealth provides care delivery (primary, specialty, urgent care) and care management to address chronic, complex, and behavioral health needs. OptumInsight utilizes data, analytics, and clinical information to support software, consulting, and managed services programs. OptumRx is a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) to create a more streamlined pharmacy system. In total Optum estimates the U.S. addressable market for its services to exceed $850 billion. If that wasn’t enough, here’s some fun facts why they made the list:

Works with 9 out of 10 U.S. hospitals, more than 67,000 pharmacies, and more than 100,000 physicians, practices, and other providers.

Added 10,000 physicians in the past year, growing its network to 46,000 physicians.

Includes 180,000 team members and serves 120 million customers.

Serves 80% of health plans to reduce total cost of care.

Works with 9 out of 10 Fortune 100 companies.

Pretty remarkable for a business unit that was only technically created in 2011, by merging existing pharmacy and care deliver services into one brand. As chronic disease increases and value-based care is here to stay, Optum is focused on comprehensively treating patients and coordinating their care to improve quality and lower costs. With UnitedHealthcare under the corporate umbrella, Optum has the adequate scale to test any new clinical initiatives before rolling out to other health plans.

9. Purdue Pharma

Purdue Pharma is a privately owned drug company owned by the Sackler Family and most well known for creating OxyContin in 1996. OxyContin represents 90% of Purdue Pharma’s revenue and was aggressively marketed to doctors for use in patients with chronic pain. According to court records, Purdue Pharma has grossed an estimated $35 billion. This is the same prescription painkiller that many experts say fueled the U.S. opioid crisis that has resulted in more than 130 deaths each day after overdosing on opioids. To be clear, the deaths are caused by prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids (fentanyl), however, the initial addiction to opioids is often caused by OxyContin and other prescription drugs. All but two U.S. states and 2,000 local governments have taken legal action against Purdue, other drug makers and distributors.

The Sackler family is the 19th richest family and is well known for supporting the fine arts, including the Sackler Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City where the Ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur sits. I’ve seen a number of articles persecuting the entire Sackler family, but I want to be a little more nuanced. In 1952, three Sackler brothers (Arthur, Raymond, and Mortimer) bought a drug company called Purdue Frederick. Arthur’s branch of the family got out of the company after his death in 1987. The Raymond and Mortimer branches of Sacklers, who own it, founded affiliate Purdue Pharma in the early 1990s. According to a 2017 article from The New Yorker, there are 15 Sackler children in the generation following the founders of Purdue. Some family members have served on the Board of Directors, while others (most notably descendants from Arthur Sackler who died before OxyContin was invented), have distanced themselves from the company and condemned the OxyContin-based wealth.

Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in September 2019 as part of a tentative settlement related to misleading marketing of the controversial painkiller. The settlement requires the owners of Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family to pay out $3 billion of their own fortune in cash over the next seven years. The only problem is that some family members have reportedly moved $10.7 billion from Purdue Pharma to trusts and holding companies across the world between 2008 and 2017. And all we’re left with is a complicated web of holding companies and offshore bank accounts, ravaged communities, and the leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S.

Andy Mychkovsky is a Director at Evolent Health and the Founder of a healthcare startup and innovation blog, Healthcare Pizza. This post originally appeared on Healthcare Pizza here.

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thomascharles01 · 2 months ago

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Comprehensive Telehealth Services in Portland

Access top-notch telehealth services Portland services for convenient and flexible mental health care. Our virtual consultations are designed to meet your needs with professional support.

#telehealth services Portland #telehealth services #telehealth services in eugene

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totalhealingservices · 3 months ago

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In recent years, telemedicine has revolutionized the way we approach healthcare, offering a convenient and accessible solution for those struggling with anxiety. By using technology to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare providers, our telemedicine in Portland, Oregon, allows individuals to receive the support they need from the comfort of their own homes. This is particularly beneficial for those dealing with anxiety, as it can eliminate the stress and discomfort associated with in-person visits. With just a few clicks, you can connect with a professional who understands your unique challenges and can offer effective strategies for managing your anxiety.

#Mental Health Support #Therapy Sessions #Virtual Counseling

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kristinsimmons · 5 years ago

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9 Healthcare Companies Who Changed the 2010s

By ANDY MYCHKOVSKY

1. Epic Systems Corporation

2. Theranos

3. One Medical

4. Centene

April 2018: WellCare and Centene awarded Medicaid managed care contracts in Florida.

July 2018: Centene acquires Fidelis Care and their 1.6 million New Yorkers for $3.75 billion. This single-handedly gives Centene the leading Medicaid share in the state.

September 2018: WellCare acquires Meridian Health Plan and their 1.1 million lives in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, for $2.5 billion.

February 2019: Centene and WellCare awarded Medicaid managed care contracts in North Carolina.

December 2019: WellCare awarded Medicaid managed care contract in WellCare (re-procurement underway)

5. Mylan

6. Evolent Health

7. Livongo

8. Optum

Works with 9 out of 10 U.S. hospitals, more than 67,000 pharmacies, and more than 100,000 physicians, practices, and other providers.

Added 10,000 physicians in the past year, growing its network to 46,000 physicians.

Includes 180,000 team members and serves 120 million customers.

Serves 80% of health plans to reduce total cost of care.

Works with 9 out of 10 Fortune 100 companies.

9. Purdue Pharma

Andy Mychkovsky is a Director at Evolent Health and the Founder of a healthcare startup and innovation blog, Healthcare Pizza. This post originally appeared on Healthcare Pizza here.

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phaelosopher · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on http://www.phaelosopher.com/2019/02/23/who-is-beating-the-we-must-vaccinate-drum/

Who is Beating the 'We MUST Vaccinate' Drum?

“If 100% of the population were vaccinated, there would be no disease.”

That appears to be the implied and I��ll say baseless motivation behind the legislative efforts to induce or coerce people to think that they should give up their option to refuse vaccine administration to their children.

Of course it’s not baseless. They are beating the ‘We Must Vaccinate’ drum like there’s no tomorrow.

Except that there is, and will always be one.

Such is the subtext that is unfolding in the state of Washington after a late-January measles outbreak in Portland led to several cases in Vancouver (Clark County), across the Columbia River to the north, to which Gov. Jay Inslee declared a public health emergency for reasons of “vaccine hesitancy”.

Del Bigtree, producer of the film “Vaxxed” covers talking points with local TV reporter.

Interesting term, “vaccine hesitancy”. I’d use the words legitimate reason, common sense, overwhelming evidence that something is not as it should be.

Not only are legislators maintaining a blind eye to the ample evidence, and dismissing a parent’s natural instinct to protect their children, they (or those who are urging them on) are systematically attempting to establish their authority to dictate to the public what is or is not permissible to disagree on.

As of February 21, almost one month after the outbreak, 63 people in Clark and King County had contracted measles (44 under 10 years of age with one 50 years of age). This group represents less than 0.03% of a population of roughly 231,200 people, the response for which is estimated to be over $1 million.

My question is why?

Since the large majority ~not all ~ of the cases were “unvaccinated” children, state law conjurers have elected to make this the reason to attempt to take away parents’ options to use “philosophical grounds” as a reason to refuse to allow vaccinations on their children.

Standing behind “science” is a weak attempt to marginalize this fundamental truth.

While a parent’s power of non-consent is inalienable and inviolate, there remains a very clear effort to have the public believe that the state has some power or right to force them to do something that is against, not only their conscience and will, but their own personal knowledge, whether “science” acknowledges or admits it, or not.

Unvaccinated children that get measles don’t get it a second time. Having had measles in my youth, I can say that it was no big deal. It came, then it left. Yet, it appears that getting an MMR vaccination was not enough to ensure that a child won’t still get measles, and getting it one time is no guarantee that they won’t get it again.

However, chances are increased that vaccinated child will have to deal with one or more of a much wider list of chronic and degenerative conditions that are all on the rise.

The 25 healthiest countries (shaded in gold), according to Bloomberg Health Index.

‘Leading’ to Health Ignominy

America has become a “leader” of far too many dubious distinctions. To be “the land of the free,” more Americans are in prison, by a wide margin, than any country on Earth.

However, there are prisons, and there are prisons. The social, psychological,and metabolic fallout from the unmitigated push to force unnatural chemical agents into human biological systems, hints at an agenda that appears to be about more than money. The absence of objectivity from the medical/professional sector, the blindly obsessive push to raise vaccine rates up (already over 90%), reveals a complete disregard for the trail of trampled and obliterated hopes and dreams, and the utter bewilderment when what would be a common sense response by any rational human being ~ i.e., dial vaccine schedules back, or even stop them altogether to see if the sudden injuries stop ~ are ignored.

The general health trend in the United States is down. An undeclared state of emergency sparks a new wave of dubious American leadership with the continuing advance in frequency of conditions known variously as ADHD, Asperger syndrome, autism or ASD (which in 2014 had reached a frequency of 1 in 59 children), asthma (affecing 25 million people including 7 million children), diabetes (100 million people affected according to CDC), and many more. including childhood cancers.

And “science” sees no connection between its standard policies and practices, and shattered lives.

In fact, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb of the FDA (an un-elected official who is not fettered with concern over being re-elected) told CNN that some states with “lax” vaccine requirement laws may eventually “force the hand of the federal health agencies.” (See U.S. News article.)

SOURCE: US NEWS.

Sounds like a less than veiled threat, which may also be why the big hullabaloo about “the outbreak”. See if the elected officials can snark their illogical and baseless proposition pass the people, and whether the people will be distracted or incoherent enough to let it happen.

It’s not really about the “philosophical” reasoning. It is whether you continue to allow these people to convince you to give them your authority.

No Matter How Many Times ‘Scientists’ Say Otherwise, Baseless is Baseless

By sticking to a narrow and implausible assertion that there is no scientific link to the MMR vaccine and autism, proponents of vaccinations dodge calling attention to the far greater evidence that the institutionalized use of various delivery modalities of unnatural chemicals is, in fact, connected to all of the maladies that could go under the umbrella of “vaccine damage”.

Whether causal or not, vaccines significantly contribute to the pathogenesis of a myriad of ailments that eventually become chronic and degenerative. Virtually all of which are met by an apparently puzzled research body that professes to feverishly look for “cures”.

This is the psychological morass that is life n America today. Freedoms are being assaulted right at home, by people who would convince us that we need a wall, but deny the damage to health that they are supporting by not halting , or even questioning, their “marching orders.”

I wonder who is beating their drum?

youtube

OnDoc Bears Mentioning Here

With that apparent indictment of the medical system, a word about OnDoc would seem a contradiction. In fact, because the medical system is how it is, it behooves each to give one’s self a way to interact with its representatives on more equal terms.

OnDoc (On-Doc.com), a startup that launches April 2019, is a new player in the fast-growing telehealth sector. It is not an “insurance” product, but the thousands of doctors that are available through the service are fully able to listen to and evaluate your non-emergency situation and, where necessary, write prescriptions, in far less time than it takes to go through conventional channels, and at less cost.

The company provides 24/7 virtual and timely access to licensed, board certified medical doctors by way of your smartphone, tablet, or video chat. It allows you to handle 75% of the reasons that people visit urgent care, emergency room, and doctor’s office visits, all for a monthly subscription membership of $30, which covers an individual or household.

At the time of this writing OnDoc is in 46 states. Washington is not yet among them. However, the remainder are expected to be on line by the company’s official launch in April.

While the launch is in April, coverage for over 300 million people is available today. The company offers a unique compensation system that allows members to not only get there subscription for free, but to actually make a very nice passive income by sharing this timely and valuable service with others.

For more information, follow this referral link, where you can also use to join.

Please follow and like us:

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gordonwilliamsweb · 5 years ago

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Coronavirus Crisis Opens Access To Online Opioid Addiction Treatment

Opioid addiction isn’t taking a break during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the U.S. response to the viral crisis is making addiction treatment easier to get.

Under the national emergency declared by the Trump administration in March, the government has suspended a federal law that required patients to have an in-person visit with a physician before they could be prescribed drugs that help quell withdrawal symptoms, such as Suboxone. Patients can now get those prescriptions via a phone call or videoconference with a doctor.

Addiction experts have been calling for that change for years to help expand access for patients in many parts of country that have shortages of physicians eligible to prescribe these medication-assisted treatments. A federal report in January found that 40% of U.S. counties don’t have a single health care provider approved to prescribe buprenorphine, an active ingredient in Suboxone.

A 2018 law called for the new policy, but regulations were never finalized.

“I wish there was another way to get this done besides a pandemic,” said Dr. David Kan, chief medical officer of Bright Heart Health, a Walnut Creek, California, company. It has recently started working with insurers and health providers to help addicted patients get therapy and medications without having to leave their homes. He said he hopes the administration will make the changes permanent after the national emergency ends.

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For years before the emergency regulations, Bright Heart — along with several other telemedicine counseling providers — began offering opioid addiction treatment and counseling via telemedicine, even if they couldn’t prescribe initial medication for addiction. Patients can renew prescriptions for drugs to deal with withdrawal symptoms, get drug-tested and meet with counselors for therapy.

When Nathan Post needed help overcoming a decade-long drug addiction, he went online in 2018 and used Bright Heart Health to connect to a doctor and weekly individual and group counseling sessions. He said the convenience is a big benefit.

“As an addict, it was easy to have excuses not to do stuff, but this was easy because I could just be in my living room and turn on my computer, so I had no reason to blow it off,” he said.

Post, 38, a tattoo artist who recently moved from New Mexico to Iowa City, Iowa, was addicted to Suboxone, the drug he was prescribed in 2009 to deal with an addiction to opioid pills.

Officials with the insurer Anthem said using Bright Heart’s telemedicine option has helped increase medication-assisted treatment for members with opioid drug abuse issues from California and nine other states from 16% to more than 30%. While fewer than 5% of Anthem patients seeking addiction treatment use telemedicine, the company expects the option to become more common.

Bright Heart Health officials say one barometer of the effectiveness of the care is that 90% of patients are still in treatment after 90 days and 65% after 90 days — far higher than with traditional treatment.

Several insurers — including Aetna, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies like Anthem across the country — have begun covering the telemedicine addiction service.

Dr. Miriam Komaromy, medical director of Boston Medical Center’s Grayken Center for Addiction, said there are some downsides to virtual care.

“I think therapists and providers do worry whether it provides the same level of engagement with the patient and whether it’s possible to gauge someone’s sincerity and level of motivation as easily over a camera as in person,” she said.

But she predicted telemedicine service will grow because of the tremendous need to broaden access to mental health and addiction counseling. “Too often the default is no counseling for patients,” she said. “This gives us another set of tools.”

Patients can also have trouble finding a doctor who is eligible to prescribe medication to help treat addiction. Physicians are required to get a federal license to prescribe Suboxone and other controlled substances that help patients with opioid addictions and can write only limited numbers of prescriptions each month. Many doctors hesitate to seek that qualification.

A few small studies have found that patients are as likely to stay with telemedicine treatment as with in-person care for drug addiction. But no studies have determined whether one type of therapy is more effective.

Telemedicine does have its limits — and is not right for everyone, particularly patients who require more intensive inpatient care or who lack easy internet access, Komaromy said.

Premera Blue Cross and Blue Shield officials said they are partnering with Boulder Care, a digital recovery program based in Portland, Oregon, to help customers in rural Alaska. “Telemedicine is a unique way for someone to go through treatment in a discreet manner,” said Rick Abbott, a Premera vice president.

Nathan Post, a tattoo artist living in Iowa City, Iowa, used a telemedicine service to help overcome his addiction to Suboxone. “This was easy because I could just be in my living room and turn on my computer, so I had no reason to blow it off,” he says. (Courtesy of Nathan Post)

While telemedicine has been growing in popularity for physical medicine, some people may still be reluctant to use it for drug addiction.

There are also concerns that allowing providers to prescribe controlled substances without meeting patients in person could increase the risks of fraud.

“There is a fear around this that there may be some rogue providers who make a lot of money off addiction and will do it stealthily on the internet,” said Dr. Alyson Smith, an addiction medical specialist with Boulder Care. “While that is a small risk, we have to compare it to the huge benefit of expanding treatment that will save lives.”

Smith said she doesn’t notice a big difference in treating patients for drug addiction in her office compared with on a video screen. She can still see patients’ pupils to make sure they are dilated and ask them about how they are feeling — which can determine whether it’s appropriate to prescribe certain drugs. Dilated pupils are a sign of patients suffering from withdrawal from heroin and other drugs.

Dr. Dawn Abriel, who treated Post and previously directed a methadone clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said she can diagnose patients over video without issue.

“I can pick up an awful lot on the video,” particularly a patient’s body language, she said. “I think people open up to me more because they are sitting in their homes and in their place of comfort.”

In West Virginia, one of the states hardest hit by the opioid addiction epidemic, Highmark, a Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, started offering telehealth addiction coverage with Bright Heart Health in January. Highmark officials say a lack of providers, particularly in rural parts of the state, meant that many of the insurer’s members had difficulty finding the help they need.

Dr. Caesar DeLeo, vice president and executive medical director of strategic initiatives for Highmark, said the insurer was having problems getting customers into care. Only about a third of members with addiction issues were receiving treatment, he said.

“We needed to address the crisis with a new approach,” DeLeo said. “This will give people more options and give primary care doctors who do not want to prescribe Suboxone another place to refer patients.”

DeLeo said patients will also be referred to Bright Heart in hospital emergency rooms.

Dr. Paul Leonard, an emergency doctor and medical director for Workit Health, an Ann Arbor, Michigan, company offering telemedicine treatment and counseling programs, said many patients who turn to ERs for addiction treatment get little help finding counseling. With online therapy, patients can sign up while still in the ER.

“We’ve built a better mousetrap,” Leonard said.

Telemedicine addiction providers said they and their patients are getting more accustomed to virtual care.

“There are always times you wish you could reach out and hold someone’s hand, and you can’t do that,” said Boulder’s Smith. “But we feel like we are more skilled at a virtual hand-holding and really connect with people and they feel well supported in return.”

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dinafbrownil · 5 years ago