Employer mental health benefits provider Lyra Health has inked a strategic partnership with stress and wellness app Calm, the companies announced Tuesday. With the deal, Lyra's customers may choose to offer Calm's app and digital programs to their employees. Existing Lyra members with mild mental health issues such as stress will have the Calm app recommended. It will be available for direct download, should they be eligible.
“The need for preventive mental health care and resilience-building tools is more urgent than ever," Connie Chen, chief medical officer at Lyra Health, said in a statement. "Meditation and mindfulness are important evidence-based tools to support psychological well-being. We are thrilled to add Calm to our portfolio of offerings."
Doctor On Demand has partnered with tech-enabled in-home care provider CareLinx. Going forward, the latter company's caregivers will be able to loop in the virtual care company's physicians while taking care of seniors and high-risk patients, and they will help walk these individuals through Doctor On Demand's registration process or follow-up virtual visits. What's more, CareLinx clients who are eligible will receive a free initial visit with a Doctor On Demand provider.
"Our partnership with Doctor On Demand enables CareLinx to continue equipping our caregivers with digital tools and technologies to make caregiving easier, more transparent and higher quality,” Sherwin Sheik, CEO of CareLinx, said in a statement.
“Additionally, this partnership is helping to supplement in-home activities of daily living with a telehealth option for our clients, who may not otherwise realize they have the option to see a provider virtually for medical ailments. Combined with the in-home care they are receiving, these services can help provide an expanded continuum of care to help them stay healthy and safe where they want to be – at home.”
Drug and medical device knowledge firm First Databank has partnered with smart-medication-adherence company RxCap to develop and launch an app that helps patients understand their medication instructions and remember when to take a pill. Called RxCap Adhere, the Apple and Android app pulls its personalized information from First Databank's EHR and pharmacy management system API once patients who have downloaded the app enter a unique ID given to them by their provider.
“Staying adherent to medications is more important than ever to help patients keep their immune systems strong and to avoid unnecessary emergency room visits or hospitalizations,” Dr. Charles Lee, senior director of clinical knowledge for Meducation at First Databank, said in a statement.
“RxCap Adhere can play a role in helping patients avoid those health risks and better manage their chronic conditions with informational and adherence tools easily accessible on their smartphones.”
Health IT platform Cohere Health has signed on with Humana to help the payer streamline prior authorizations for musculoskeletal treatment. The deal involves the startup's CohereNext Platform, which grants authorizations throughout a patient's entire episode of care, and will go live within 12 states at the start of the new year.
"Through this strategic initiative and collaboration with Cohere Health, Humana is building on its commitment to reduce the complexity and friction of prior authorization for our physicians and members," Dr. William Shrank, Humana's chief medical officer and Cohere Health board member, said in a statement. "Cohere's solution was co-designed with physicians, and represents a major leap forward in improved physician experience and the adoption of evidence-based medicine."
