Kansas City-based Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute is partnering with virtual specialty care company Story Health to codevelop an atrial fibrillation (AFib) program for the health system's patients. 

The program, which will be rolled out in the coming months, will include features for optimizing treatment, such as lifestyle recommendations, monitoring or adjusting medications, and identifying individuals who may benefit from procedures like ablation.

California-based Story Health coaches will also be available for patients between visits, and the platform will collect health data and integrate it into the health system's EHR for clinical decision support.  

"Our comprehensive digital health program was developed hand-in-hand with the renowned experts at Saint Luke’s, integrating compassionate coaches with cutting-edge technology to empower clinicians to operate at the top of their license and maximize their impact," Story Health CEO and cofounder Tom Stanis told MobiHealthNews in an email. "Through the AFib program, we aim to not only improve patient outcomes but also alleviate the burden on clinicians so no patient is left behind in their care journey."

THE LARGER TREND

Last year, Story Health partnered with West Virginia University's Heart and Vascular Institute to offer coaches who could collaborate with the health system's clinicians to provide patient monitoring and engagement, as well as clinical support. 

The specialty care provider also partnered with Intermountain Health (formerly Intermountain Healthcare) to provide its EHR technology to the health system's providers and assist them in managing heartfailure patients outside the clinical setting. 

In 2022, the company secured $22.6 million in Series A funding, a year after launching with $4 million in seed funding. 

Other companies in the heart health space include digital cardiac and lung disease health startup Eko Health, tech-enabled heart disease-detection company CardioSignal, cardiology care platform CardioOne built through Redesign Health and Ultromics, maker of an AI-supported cardiac decision support tool.