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.
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.