Alternative medicine advocate Dr. Deepak Chopra is teaming up with Verizon and CareSpan on a new platform called Chopra Integrative Medicine Center Telehealth, which was designed to bring a network of holistic medical providers into one space.

The platform specializes in prevention but says it can treat patients with all types of health conditions. Specifically, the platform examines genetic and lifestyle factors in a person's life. It takes a collaborative approach to healthcare by integrating providers and services.

"The Chopra Integrative Medicine Telehealth Platform lives in the intersection of Allopathic, Alternative and Lifestyle medicine," Ara Suppiah, MD, leading the peak living program on the platform, said in a statement.

Patients using the platform meet with a physician for "a series of 60-minute visits"—which covers everything from health history, to lifestyle factors and diet to spirituality. Clinicians may meet with other colleagues to come up with a users' personalized plan. The plan typically hits on nutrition, sleep, hormones, strength and mind-body medicine.

The telehealth service runs on Verizon's BlueJeans Telehealth and is HIPAA-ready. Meanwhile, CareSpan will provide the integrated digital care platform, which the company boasts also HIPAA and ONC compliant.  

WHY IT MATTERS

Telehealth became popular during the first wave of COVID-19. While the numbers have dropped slightly according to a recent McKinsey report, about 40% of survey consumers said they would continue to use telehealth going forwards, up from 11% prior to the pandemic.

Chopra is pitching this new platform as a way to integrate care while using telehealth, and incorporating holistic factors into the mix.

"Because of technology, the future of well-being is very precise, it's personalized, it's predictable, it's preventable and it is a process that requires everyone's participation," Chopra said during a Facebook live call today.

THE LARGER TREND

This isn't the first time Chopra has been involved with digital health projects. In February, Fitbit announced that Chopra would headline a collection of wellness content for Fitbit Premium members. His sessions included topics such as mindfulness, breathing and stress management.

Chopra has also teamed up with author and major digital health player Dr. Eric Topol on a study to measure the physiological effects of medication.

In 2009 he founded the Chopra Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to research around mind-body practices.