Guidehealth and Story Health Announce Strategic Deal to Deliver Virtual Value-Based Cardiology Care

July 15, 2024 – Guidehealth, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based healthcare services company, announced a strategic deal with Story Health, a digital health company revolutionizing the delivery of specialty care, to provide a value-based cardiology care program to health systems and clinically integrated networks (CINs). Health systems using Guidehealth will be able to seamlessly integrate Story Health’s program to support at-risk patients with heart conditions such as heart failure, hypertension and arrhythmias, providing better care while reducing the overall cost of care, according to a written statement detailing the deal.

“Reducing overall costs does not have to come at the expense of providing high-quality care at scale. Story Health has a proven track record of engaging patients with heart disease in their health and improving outcomes,” said Sanjay Doddamani, MD, co-founder and CEO of Guidehealth, who is also a cardiologist. He added, “Adding Story Health to our ecosystem enables providers to exceed their quality of care goals and ensures that patients do not have to wait for ongoing care, especially between visits when they may have a higher disease burden or complications that can lead to expensive emergency department visits. This innovative approach directly integrates specialized cardiovascular care for high-risk patients with complex treatment plans.”

“Cardiovascular disease is one of the most costly and deadly conditions in our healthcare system. Many patients could avoid adverse events that lead to hospitalizations if they received more frequent care, which can largely be done virtually and asynchronously,” said Story Health co-founder and president Nita Sommers. “We are thrilled to partner with Guidehealth to expand the care that PCPs in value-based arrangements can provide to their patients by delivering a new model of direct specialty care,” Sommers added.

Guidehealth serves more than 500,000 people and partners with several leading health systems and CINs across the country to improve access to care and improve health outcomes within value-based models. The company notes that it provides a technology platform and clinical support services that integrate directly into primary care workflows, enabling providers to better coordinate care and close gaps in care at a lower overall cost while reducing administrative burden.

Guidehealth’s team of Healthguides extends a practice’s reach by collaborating with a health system’s clinical team to better inform and support complex patients and their families, including assisting with prior authorizations and in-network referrals. In addition, Guidehealth’s platform augments care plans and streamlines care management by accessing the best commercially available AI as well as the company’s own models and solutions – all under a single contract.

For provider organizations that partner with Guidehealth and Story Health, the two organizations will coordinate support for at-risk patients with heart disease. Guidehealth’s Healthguides will identify eligible patients and assist with enrollment in Story Health’s program. Story Health’s specialized clinical care team will work directly with patients using the technology platform to get and maintain their care on track. Healthguides will ensure providers are kept informed and involve them in any escalations of care.

Story Health combines technology and a specialized care team of cardiologists, nurses, and health coaches to get more patients the right treatment at the right time. The program delivers care anywhere to help patients stay on track and has been shown to drive high levels of engagement while achieving medication optimization in less time—as highlighted by outcomes for at-risk patients from underserved communities. The health coaches provide additional support by addressing socioeconomic barriers to care, such as arranging help with prescription affordability, providing education about the disease to improve health literacy, and coordinating mail-in prescription delivery to ensure members receive their medications.

Based in Dallas, Texas, Guidehealth is an advanced, technology-enabled healthcare delivery platform that partners with health systems and clinical networks to make value-based care scalable and predictable across all lines of business. The physician-led company augments existing primary care capabilities using innovative AI-based protocols, virtually embedded healthguides, and a carefully designed framework to predict the patients who need the most support in the exam room and beyond.

Story Health is a digital health company revolutionizing the delivery of specialty care. Using a technology-enabled and people-driven approach, their stated mission is to transform every patient’s care journey by enabling physicians and institutions to implement and scale continuous specialty care for every patient with heart disease, so no patient is left out. Story Health partners with many of the most prestigious health systems across the country, including ChristianaCare, Intermountain Health, and Saint Luke’s Health System, as well as many leading providers for at-risk patients.

For more information: www.guidehealth.com, www.StoryHealth.com