PatientPing started off the year with a presence in six states, according to an interview with HIStalk and Jay Desai, PatientPing cofounder and CEO. But with the addition of Ohio and Kentucky-based nonprofit health system Mercy Health this week, the care coordination business more than doubled the states where it has a presence.
The expansion was fueled by a $31 million Series B round from Andreessen Horowitz and Leerink Transformation Partners at the end of 2016. The new round of funding was also intended to help the company at least double the size of its team.
PatientPing’s name is derived from the “pings” providers receive for real-time notifications whenever their patients receive care at any facility that is a part of the national PatientPing network. At the facility where patients are treated, providers receive guidelines that include contact information for the patient’s care team, helpful instructions from them, and patient visit histories. The idea is that by sharing this information when it is needed, providers will be able to improve patient care coordination.
Mercy Health plans to use PatientPing’s technology to ease the transition from hospitals to post-acute care settings for Medicare Advantage and Comprehensive Primary Care Plus patients, according to the press release. It will also use the technology to support bundled payment models.
Since the start of the year, PatientPing has added partnerships with Hackensack Meridian Health Partners in New Jersey, WellStar Health System in Georgia, and Accountable Care Organization Houston Methodist Coordinated Care, which is affiliated with Houston Methodist in Texas. Other new customers include Bellin Health in Wisconsin and North Carolina Hospital Association.
The care coordination tech business also made some high profile additions to its staff and advisers. Sean Cavanaugh became an adviser, having previously served as the head of the Center for Medicare at CMS. There, he was responsible for developing the regulations and payment policies for Medicare providers. Desai also worked for CMS at its Innovation Center to help implement the ACO program, bundled payments, and other payment models coming out of CMMI, according to the HIStalk interview.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
It also added Dave Rodger, who previously worked as vice president of product at Spotify, as head of product at PatientPing.
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