USA – Teladoc Health, the virtual care giant, is foraying into chronic condition management with the launch of its own program, Chronic Care Complete.
Patients with diabetes, prediabetes, and hypertension will be given connected devices such as glucometers and blood pressure cuffs as part of the new offering.
They will also be assigned personal health coaches. They can also work with therapists to address mental health issues and receive medical care as needed.
Teladoc stated that the program will be available to members through their health plans or employers, and that the virtual care company will work with clients to identify qualified users.
According to the CDC, chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are common in the United States and account for the vast majority of healthcare spending.
Patients suffering from physical chronic diseases are also more likely to suffer from mental health issues such as depression.
“The care experience provided by Chronic Care Complete is distinctively designed to assist and guide members through every step of their healthcare journey,” Donna Boyer, Teladoc’s chief product officer, said in a statement.
“Take, for example, a member newly diagnosed with diabetes. They are not only relying on monitoring and coaching as they learn to live with their new diagnosis, but will receive physician support for determining appropriate medications and adjustments, as well as mental health support for dealing with a potentially life-changing diagnosis.“
Teladoc stated that the latest program, as well as its mental health offering myStrength Complete and primary care tool Primary360, were accelerated by the company’s 2020 merger with chronic care management company Livongo.
Last year, the company collaborated with Trustmark Health Benefits to offer a virtual-first health plan centered on Primary360.
Many digital health, virtual care, and remote-monitoring companies have promoted their own tools to help people manage chronic health conditions.
MDLIVE, another telehealth player, announced in January that it was launching a health-monitoring program focused on chronic-condition care.
Biofourmis, an AI-enabled virtual care and remote monitoring company, recently announced a specialty care program focusing on heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and lipid management.
Cadence, another startup that remotely monitors patients suffering from diseases such as COPD, hypertension, heart failure, and Type 2 diabetes, announced in December that it had raised $100 million in Series B funding, bringing its valuation to more than US$1 billion.
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