Value-based care platform Signify Health is building out its offering for in-home testing and diagnostics, the company announced on Tuesday.
The program, which is offered to Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members, aims to support early detection of some of the diseases and chronic conditions that have the largest impact on the Medicare population, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral arterial disease, colorectal cancer, chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
Diagnostics and preventive services are provided during an in-home evaluation visit conducted by Signify Health, with the goal of making access convenient and comprehensive, Signify said.
“Early diagnosis and management of chronic conditions are critical to achieving better health outcomes and reducing the total cost of care,” said Marc Rothman, M.D., chief medical officer at Signify Health, in the release. “At Signify, we are performing diagnostic tests in the home to reduce barriers to timely diagnosis and treatment decisions by individuals and their physicians.”
Signify Health is adding spirometry testing to the offering, the company said, which detects COPD. The company piloted the test earlier this year and is now rolling it out fully to the program.
COPD is the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S., and while it has a high prevalence, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data estimate that just 50% of people with COPD have been diagnosed. Early diagnosis and treatment can slow the effects and reduce mortality, even though there is no cure for COPD, Signify said.
“The damage COPD causes to the lungs is irreversible and incurable. However, too often COPD goes undiagnosed,” said Rothman. “Signify Health clinicians are able to provide a real-time diagnosis of COPD after a thorough assessment of a patient’s spirometry test results, medical history and physical examination.”