New York-based telehealth, insurance navigation and primary care platform Eden Health has a new physical location for its hybrid services — the office. Thanks to a partnership announced earlier this year with Convene, a firm that rents out venues for work spaces, the digital primary care startup has opened an in-office clinic where Convene and Eden members can see live clinicians complementing their digital care.

Based in Convene’s flagship New York City site, the clinic is the first of dozens planned for Convene’s Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles sites in the next 18 months. These locations will act much like Eden’s existing brick-and-mortar primary care clinics, and are targeted squarely at direct-to-employer customers seeking low-cost, digitally-enabled care.

WHY IT MATTES

Eden’s care model comprises a three-pronged approach: Users can access a doctor through a virtual care model, they can use the platform to navigate their insurance benefits and they may access Eden's in-person component in select locations. This strategy not only offers members options regarding how they prefer to seek primary care, but also, according to Eden Health CEO Matt McCambridge, how long they’ll have to wait.

"With an 18 day average wait for a primary care appointment, almost no one is getting the care they need when they need it. We’ve integrated around the clock virtual care with members-only on-site and near-site locations so that when a healthcare need arises, our members can access their Care Team right away," he said in a statment. "We’re looking forward to serving members at our first Convene location and as we expand to Convene locations across the country.”

THE LARGER TREND

Clinics hosted within shared working spaces is the latest in a long line of integrated and hybrid care models supported by virtual care technologies, which range from health kiosks housed within retail pharmacies to house call apps with telehealth functionality.

In the primary care space specifically, Carbon Health recently brought in $30 million for its own pairing of in-person and virtual primary care, while Doctor on Demand and Humana partnered on a service allowing patients to visit their in-network primary care providers virtually.

ON THE RECORD

“Now more than ever, progressive companies are prioritizing their employees’ physical and mental health and investing tremendous resources to create a better workplace experience,” Ryan Simonetti, CEO and cofounder of Convene, said in a statement. “By partnering with Eden Health, we are creating a first-of-its-kind healthcare offering that will change the lives of not only our own employees, but also the tenants in Convene-enabled buildings and our expanding network of WorkPlace members.”