- Acquisition will add asynchronous care, triage, and
navigation capabilities to Evernorth's MDLIVE virtual care
platform for a more convenient, on-demand experience for patients
and clinicians beginning in 2024
- MDLIVE virtual primary care expands chronic condition
care management to include health coaching beginning
immediately
BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Oct. 10,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Evernorth Health Services, the
pharmacy, care, and benefits solution division of The Cigna Group
(NYSE:CI), announced it will enhance MDLIVE's virtual care by
acquiring the technology and clinical capabilities of Bright.md, a
leader in asynchronous care, triage, and health care navigation
services. In addition, MDLIVE is enhancing its virtual primary care
service to include health coaching for patients with chronic
conditions.
"We continually challenge ourselves to improve the health care
experience, and by integrating these capabilities we will
significantly improve patient access to high-quality care, free up
clinicians to spend more meaningful time with patients, and reduce
the total cost of care," said Dr. Eric
Weil, chief medical officer, MDLIVE. "Ultimately, this
will help patients get care faster and facilitate more meaningful
patient-provider interactions that improve health."
Asynchronous care will make care more convenient for
MDLIVE patients; reduce administrative burden on
clinicians
Asynchronous care is the next step in delivering highly
convenient and timely care for patients, while reducing
administrative burden on clinicians. Patients can initiate care
on-demand without the need for a real-time clinician interaction.
MDLIVE will begin to offer asynchronous care within its virtual
urgent care platform to clients and patients in 2024 and will
expand the tool to support chronic disease management and wellness
visits over time.
"We are transforming how care is accessed, coordinated and
delivered to improve overall health– and virtual care is a critical
component of our path forward as we enhance our primary care
services to address health holistically," said Jon Salon, president, MDLIVE. "By investing in
digital, virtual-led care capabilities and diversifying the way our
patients can access health care, we are creating a simpler, more
personalized experience that can drive better outcomes."
Patients will be guided through a digital clinical interview
that is converted into a comprehensive chart note. A licensed
clinician reviews patient responses and provides a diagnosis, care
plan, prescriptions, or connects the patient to a different
modality or setting for care when clinically appropriate. This
asynchronous care experience is not based on artificial
intelligence or machine learning, and all care decisions are made
by clinicians.
"We know firsthand the power of asynchronous care to treat a
wide range of common conditions that currently make up more than
half of urgent and primary care visits, such as rashes, urinary
tract infections, and pink eye," said Steve
Giannini, chief executive officer, Bright.md. "Bringing
Bright.md's technology together with MDLIVE has exciting potential
to expand access to care for millions more people—alleviating
administrative burden on clinicians and improving outcomes."
Expanded health coaching enhances support for patients
with chronic conditions
MDLIVE is also expanding chronic condition care management to
include health coaching as part of the care plan developed by a
patient's MDLIVE primary care physician. The health coaching
program is physician-prescribed and integrated into MDLIVE virtual
primary care, enabling providers to keep patients engaged and
supported in between visits and help manage lifestyle changes, such
as weight management, healthy eating, physical activity, and sleep
management.
MDLIVE health coaching is powered by Welldoc®, a
digital health leader in chronic care with FDA-cleared solutions.
The program includes personalized insights and reminders to help
patients track progress against their goals, easily record and
monitor vitals through activity tracking devices, and manage
medications and activity goals. It also helps the patient's MDLIVE
physician and care team stay up-to-date and engaged on the
patient's progress.
About Evernorth Health
Services
Evernorth Health Services creates
pharmacy, care, and benefits solutions to improve health and
increase vitality. We relentlessly innovate to make the prediction,
prevention, and treatment of illness and disease more accessible to
millions of people. Evernorth capabilities are powered by
our businesses, including Express Scripts, Express
Scripts Pharmacy, Accredo, eviCore, and MDLIVE,
along with holistic Evernorth platforms and solutions
that move people and organizations forward.
All Evernorth solutions are serviced and provided by
or through operating affiliates of Evernorth Health, a
wholly owned subsidiary of The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI),
or third-party partners. Learn more
at evernorth.com.
Media Contact:
Kelly
Mathews
423.260.9267
Kelly.mathews@evernorth.com
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SOURCE Evernorth Health Services