As telehealth companies increasingly turn to chronic care management, Cigna’s MDLive is launching its own remote patient monitoring program.
The digital-first program will allow patients with chronic conditions to track biometrics like blood pressure and glucose levels, recording daily health information that they can review with MDLive providers during their visits.
More consumers are monitoring their health data than ever before, and more people are comfortable sharing those data with their providers, allowing health organizations like MDLive to leverage technology to provide personalized care, according to the company.
"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," said Cynthia Zelis, M.D., chief medical officer at MDLive, 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."
Cigna acquired MDLive in April, absorbing the telehealth company into its health services unit, Evernorth.
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Cigna expanded access to MDLive’s network of virtual primary care providers to all members of the insurer's employer plans beginning January 2022.
The new patient health monitoring program will be available to all health plan clients of MDLive.
"This is a down payment on the future of virtual care, where patients work with providers to manage complex chronic conditions from the comfort and privacy of their home, or wherever is convenient for them," said Eric Palmer, CEO of Evernorth. "Evernorth and MDLive are building a new model of care delivery, one that offers a seamless, connected experience to drive greater affordability and improved health outcomes for those we serve."
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The program doesn’t yet include monitoring devices that connect directly with MDLive’s patient portal, but the company said they expect to roll out that feature later in the year.
Smartwatches and other connected devices have exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend that’s expected to continue through 2022.
Other companies and payers are catching on, too.
In October, Best Buy shelled out nearly $400 million to acquire remote patient monitoring vendor Current Health, while Google spent $2.1 billion for fitness tracking giant Fitbit last January.
Humana launched its own pilot for a virtual-first chronic care management program last February, available first to Medicare Advantage members with multiple chronic conditions.