MedArrive, a care management platform offering in-home care, has partnered with maternal telehealth provider Ouma Health to expand access to care for vulnerable women.
The partnership aims to improve the health of pregnant women and their newborns, particularly for those at high risk and in rural or poorer urban areas. By adding Ouma to its network, MedArrive will offer its members maternal health services including prenatal and postpartum visits, behavioral health screenings and counseling, chronic care management and remote patient monitoring, according to the company.
The U.S. faces rising maternal mortality rates, especially among minority women, made significantly worse by COVID-19. Yet, according to a recent federal analysis of data before the pandemic, more than 80% of maternal deaths are preventable.
“Our network of field providers are connected to the communities they serve and are trusted by people that are often left behind in our healthcare system,” MedArrive co-founder and CEO Dan Trigub said in a press release. “We are excited about our joint opportunity to give healthcare organizations—and especially managed Medicaid plans—the ability to address the maternal health crisis in America while also reducing their costs.”
MedArrive works with payers and providers, leveraging its platform and connecting patients with its nationwide network of thousands of EMS providers. Providers visit the homes of enrolled members on behalf of their plan, offering healthcare services and diagnostics while addressing social care needs. For higher acuity care, members can be referred to physician-led telehealth support through MedArrive’s partner ecosystem.
As a direct-to-consumer platform, Ouma serves self-funded employers and Medicaid populations, supporting the mom before and after pregnancy. Medicaid finances more than 40% of all U.S. births. “The ultimate mission is to get as much access to as many women as you can,” Sina Haeri, M.D., co-founder and CEO of the startup, told Fierce Healthcare. The partnership with MedArrive helps facilitate that access.
“I can’t go to the patient's home right now,” Haeri noted. “That extension allows us to take that offering one step further.” It turns MedArrive into Ouma’s “eyes and ears,” Trigub echoed in an interview.
This hybrid model removes the burden of taking time off, finding childcare or paying for transportation to see a maternity care specialist, Haeri argues, which in turn leads to improved compliance, the examining of social drivers of health and trust-building.
MedArrive is not an on-demand urgent care network. As a former Uber Health executive, Trigub knows how difficult it is to make money that way. Instead, MedArrive identifies a population in need and serves them with a longitudinal care plan, typically seeing them several times a week for a few months. “It's very nimble, we can scale quickly and we can really target these populations,” Trigub told Fierce Healthcare.
Because broadband access is a barrier to many mothers, the bulk of Ouma’s care is delivered via text. The startup doesn’t believe in apps, Haeri said. To communicate during visits, Ouma provides a secure link for any device and offers a 3G-enabled video solution. It can also provide audio-only visits and offers translators as needed.