Virtual care company MDLIVE is launching a health-monitoring program aimed at patients with chronic conditions.
The offering, available to health plans that utilize MDLIVE’s primary care services, allows patients to track metrics like blood pressure or glucose levels so their doctors can review them during virtual visits.
The telehealth company plans to add devices that can transmit these metrics directly to MDLIVE’s patient portal later this year.
WHY IT MATTERS
The CDC estimates six in 10 U.S. adults have a chronic disease like diabetes, heart disease or COPD. Chronic conditions also drivers of the nation’s yearly healthcare expenditure.
MDLIVE positions its program as a way to manage chronic conditions more effectively.
“Demand for virtual primary care has skyrocketed since we first launched it two years ago, and this new expansion allows us to better serve a greater number of Americans living with chronic conditions, delivering better health outcomes and lower costs that benefit both patients and their health plans,” chief medical officer Dr. Cynthia Zelis said in a statement.
“Our new health monitoring program deepens the partnership between MDLIVE primary care providers and patients, giving them greater insights into the critical daily health data that can be an early indicator of a serious medical issue.”
THE LARGER TREND
MDLIVE was acquired by insurer Cigna’s health services subsidiary Evernorth last year. In October, Cigna announced its enrollees in employee-sponsored plans would get access to expanded covered telehealth services via MDLIVE, and launched a virtual-first plan for select employers.
Chronic-care management is a popular focus for digital health and virtual care companies. Late last year, chronic-care-focused remote monitoring and telehealth platform Cadence scored $100 million in Series B funding.
Membership-based primary care company One Medical launched its own chronic-condition management offering in October, including integration with remote-monitoring tools, 24/7 virtual support and a multidisciplinary care team.
Hybrid provider Carbon Health also stepped into chronic-disease management last year with its acquisition of diabetes care startup Steady Health.
Others in the space include Lyn Health, which emerged from stealth in December; One Drop, which recently revealed a product aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease; and Sweetch, which announced a $20 million raise in July.