NEW YORK, Nov. 29, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TytoCare, a virtual care company enabling health plans and providers to deliver accessible, high-quality remote primary care anywhere across the country, and St. Luke’s Health System, the largest health care provider and employer in Idaho, today announced an exclusive partnership that will give its employees and members of St. Luke’s Health Plan access to care from the comfort of home.
"The Home Smart Clinic was designed to bring the clinical quality of the doctor’s office to families, whenever and wherever they need it. This is especially important in rural areas and underserved communities to ensure that travel to a distant clinic or a shortage of local providers is not a barrier to care," said Dedi Gilad, CEO and Co-Founder of TytoCare. "We are proud to work with St. Luke’s to bring virtual care to Idaho.”
As a commitment to enhancing access to care, St. Luke’s Health Plan, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the health system founded in 2022, will offer TytoHome kits to its members beginning in 2024.
“St. Luke’s Health Plan was established on the foundation of removing barriers to care and this new partnership with TytoCare is a major step forward in realizing that goal,” said Matt Wolff, President of St. Luke’s Health Plan. “Not only will members be able to receive excellent care from the comfort of home, with St. Luke’s Health Plan, the On-Demand Virtual Visit is covered with a $0 copay.”
In addition to St. Luke’s Health Plan members, St. Luke’s will be offering these devices to employees, beginning in 2024, to ensure they have access to care that is convenient and easy. The Home Smart Clinic solutions will enable St. Luke’s patients and employees to conduct high-quality remote virtual care exams from home.
"St. Luke’s is excited to partner with TytoCare to increase access by providing more care from home. As we remain true to our commitment of supporting employee well-being, we have chosen to offer TytoHome kits to our employee population first,” said Erin Simms, Vice President of Human Resources for St. Luke’s. “There is no better way to learn and evolve before potentially extending this service to patients than to start with those that are committed to making St. Luke’s better every day.”
TytoCare’s Home Smart Clinic is the only virtual care solution on the market that can replicate the doctor’s office in the home, enabling more complete care for everyone, including underserved and rural populations. The solution combines TytoCare’s FDA-cleared handheld remote examination device, the AI-backed Tyto Insights™ smart diagnosis support, and Tyto Engagement Labs™ to provide high-quality, accessible virtual care in the home and enable health plans and providers to deliver on expected ROI and drive improved health outcomes. The Home Smart Clinic is FDA-cleared to perform heart, lung (including AI-powered wheeze detection), throat, ear, and body temperature exams.
Today’s news comes as further evidence of the capabilities of TytoCare’s ability to improve access and impact the total cost of care. Evidence of the capabilities of TytoCare’s Home Smart Clinic to impact the total cost of care was published recently in the Journal of Health Economics' July 2023 edition. The study, carried out by economists from Stanford and Tel Aviv Universities, analyzed data from one of the world's biggest HMOs, and found that TytoCare’s Home Smart Clinic reduced cost of care by 7%. The study also found that the Home Smart Clinic reduced ED visits by 24.1%, urgent care visits by 11.3%, and increased primary care utilization by 12%. The authors wrote that their findings “align with the notion that device adoption and the consequent increase in primary care use either substitute for more intensive settings or aid in preventing cases from escalating to such settings."
“This partnership with St. Luke’s has been an amazing opportunity for both teams,” said Tamir Gotfriend, CCO of TytoCare. “Our partnership with them further drives TytoCare’s mission to provide access to care from anywhere in the world.”
About TytoCare
TytoCare is a virtual healthcare company that enables leading health plans and providers to deliver remote healthcare to the whole family through its Home Smart Clinic. Combining a cutting-edge, easy-to-use, FDA-cleared device, the Home Smart Clinic enables the whole family to conduct remote physical exams with a doctor, replicating in-clinic exams for immediate answers from home. TytoCare drives utilization rates that are five times higher than traditional telehealth services; reduces the total cost of care by an average of five percent; diverts ED visits by an average of 10.8 percent; and has a high average NPS of 83. The Home Smart Clinic includes Tyto Engagement Labs™, a proven framework of engagement journeys designed for the successful deployment and adoption of the solution. To complete its offering, TytoCare also provides the Pro Smart Clinic, for professional settings outside the home to serve rural clinics, schools, workplaces, and more. TytoCare serves over 220 major health systems and health plans in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
About St. Luke’s Health System
As the only Idaho-based, not-for-profit health system, St. Luke’s is a vital part of a healthy community, led by local physicians and boards to further our organization’s mission, “To improve the health of people in the communities we serve.” Working together, we share resources, skills and knowledge to provide the best possible care at every St. Luke’s facility.
About St. Luke’s Health Plan
St. Luke’s Health Plan is a wholly-owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of St. Luke’s Health System, offering health insurance plans to both individuals and employers in 20 southwest Idaho counties. Building on St. Luke’s 120-year history of helping Idahoans stay healthy, St. Luke’s Health Plan makes it even easier to enjoy high-quality care that removes barriers between doctors, insurance and patients. We believe when this happens, our members get access to great care that leads to healthy outcomes.
Press Contacts:
TytoCare
264 West 40th St. 16 FL, New York, NY 10018
Laura Werber
TytoCare@crosscutstrategies.com
St. Luke’s Health System
190 E. Bannock St. Boise, ID 83712
Christine Myron
myronc@slhs.org
