UnityPoint Health has selected b.well Connected Health as the foundation of its patient-centered digital transformation strategy to provide consumers a new entry point to health care.
b.well provides a mobile and centralized location where consumers can manage every aspect of their health. By identifying personalized health insights that help patients close gaps in their care, the platform will support population health and value-based initiatives at UnityPoint Health, according to a news release.
UnityPoint Health also expects b.well’s convenience and consumer focus will encourage Medicare beneficiaries across the region to align with UnityPoint Accountable Care (UAC) as the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) transitions to the new Medicare Direct Contracting model of care.
Direct Contracting is designed to coordinate care in a way that improves quality and reduces the duplication of services for patients. It maximizes payment incentives for health systems that adopt value-based care, in part by empowering Medicare beneficiaries to engage in their own care.
“We want to focus on the patient and make their overall healthcare experience easier and more personal, similar to the digital experience they’re accustomed to with shopping, travel and other aspects of their life,” said Brian Jones, UAC’s vice president and chief operating officer. “b.well is the perfect partner to help us deliver that comprehensive health care experience and to create value by enhancing patient loyalty and driving positive clinical outcomes.”
The b.well platform leverages application programming interfaces (APIs) to aggregate data from any place consumers touch – clinical, financial, connected wearables, fitness trackers, biomedical devices, preferential data, social determinants of health data, and consumers’ own input. b.well then analyzes the data to identify personalized insights that help consumers close gaps in their own health care.
UnityPoint Health has further committed to providing a consumer-centric healthcare experience by enabling patients who use b.well to connect and integrate their medical records from UnityPoint providers as well as providers outside of the health system. b.well securely integrates with electronic health records (EHRs) from Epic and Cerner, as well as other enterprise applications, giving patients single-screen mobile access to appointment scheduling, billing and insurance information, active medication lists and refill requests, service cost estimates, and telehealth visits, as well as their entire medical record and health history.
The health system also will use b.well to introduce and promote health programs such as coaching for patients with chronic conditions, pre-diabetes care, or behavioral health awareness.
“We are honored that UnityPoint Health has selected us to power their digital transformation strategy and simplify the healthcare journey for consumers across their communities,” said Kristen Valdes, CEO and founder of b.well Connected Health. “Consumers are faced with portals, passwords, verifications and log-ins for dozens of healthcare entities, forcing them to manage their health experience through fragmented point solutions. b.well solves that problem and drives real value for health systems by coordinating care across systems and improving patient outcomes.”
UnityPoint Health provides care to communities across Iowa, western Illinois and southern Wisconsin through more than 400 physician clinics, 20 regional and 19 community network hospitals, as well as mental health and home care services. UnityPoint Accountable Care, a subsidiary of UnityPoint Health and one of the largest Accountable Care Organizations in the nation, has a network of over 7,750 physicians and providers in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri.
