Express Scripts pens deal with digital health startup to treat people with chronic pulmonary disease

Express Scripts, a U.S. pharmacy benefits manager, and Propeller Health, a Madison, Wis.-based startup, are joining forces to advance treatment for patients with chronic respiratory problems, according to CNBC.

Advertisement

Propeller Health offers FDA-approved apps and tools that target people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including inhalers that sync to a user’s smartphone. The company also provides information on other factors that may worsen symptoms, like weather conditions.

The partnership aims to help patients avoid overusing rescue inhalers, which over time could worsen their chronic respiratory disease symptoms, and ensure they take their controller medications that prevent flare-ups. Ultimately, the partnership hopes to save patients money by reducing unfavorable outcomes, such as emergency room visits. Express Scripts will also provide dedicated pharmacists to review Propeller Health’s data and offer real-time feedback to help support patients.

“Through this partnership, we’re getting to a size and scale we haven’t before,” Propeller Health CEO David Van Sickle, PhD, told CNBC.

The companies plan to roll out the service to patients enrolled in Express Scripts’ Pulmonary Care Value Program in early 2018.

The partnership is part of a broader trend of insurance companies, employers and PBMs aiming to reduce patients’ healthcare costs by offering a variety of digital tools, like apps and sensors. 

More articles on supply chain: 

Prime Healthcare taps HealthTrust for GPO services
Acorda Therapeutics halts Parkinson’s drug trials after 5 patient deaths
Cardinal Health to sell Chinese distribution business to Shanghai Pharma

At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.

Register to Attend Webinar

From fragmentation to operational flow: Solving the healthcare workforce puzzle

Tuesday, August 11
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT

Presenters: Dr. Pat Hunt, QGendaAndrea Daugherty, MHA, CISSP, CHCIO, CDH-E, Arrowhead Regional Medical CenterElizabeth Lindsay-Wood, MBA, CHCIO, CDH-E, Moffitt Cancer CenterDeb Muro, El Camino HealthJohn Tejeda, D.H.A., MLS, MPAS, DFAAPA, LSSBB, FACHE, Vascular and Neuroscience Institute

Advertisement

Next Up in Supply Chain

Advertisement

Comments are closed.