Sutter-Aetna Venture Partners With Tech Companies
Source: Sacramento Business Journal, Felicia Alvarez
Photo: Sutter Health | Aetna CEO Steve Wigginton (COURTESY OF AETNA INC.)
Sutter Health and Aetna Inc.’s relatively young health plan is looking to stand out by deploying more tech and virtual care apps to its enrollees.
The joint venture health plan, Sutter Health | Aetna, has entered into three new partnerships with medical technology companies since September, and is poised to continue bringing startups into the fold. The health plan recently signed contracts with Docent Health, 98point6 and Heal.
Sutter Health | Aetna launched in 2018, offering self-insured health plans to companies. Its offerings are largely designed to steer patients toward physicians and hospitals affiliated with Sacramento-based Sutter Health and other providers in Sutter Health | Aetna’s networks. Ownership of the joint venture is split 50-50 between Sutter Health and Aetna.
The health plan is partnering with more third-party companies in part to offer more health care outside of traditional settings.
“Our goal is to make as many access points become available as possible, so that it’s easier to get the bulk of our members’ health care needs,” said Steve Wigginton, CEO of Sutter Health | Aetna.
That strategy of investing in “new doors,” or points of access, is meant to shorten the time it takes to consult a primary care physician or receive a prescription.
Boston-based Docent Health will provide the health plan’s members with an appointment scheduling service to help patients efficiently set up time with a physician near them, and quickly access the lineup of services Sutter Health | Aetna provides. The platform is set to integrate within Sutter Health | Aetna’s current system, rather than appearing as a separate app, Wigginton said. A pilot program with Docent had been in effect since June 30, and a full-access launch for the health plan’s members is set to begin Jan. 1.
Sutter Health | Aetna is also looking to add both telehealth and “in home” health care options. A partnership with Seattle-based 98point6 is set to provide virtual access to primary care physicians through an app that allows texting, phone and video chat services on a 24-hour basis. From there, doctors can write prescriptions or provide referrals to other medical services or a specialty physician.
Another partnership with Los Angeles-based Heal is a modern take on “house calls” from a physician who can provide in-home visits to patients. The company says it can provide doctor visits from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and can visit “most” locations within two hours of requesting a house call.
“With that front line of health care, I think most of us have experienced that it’s not super efficient for the things that are relatively straightforward,” such as checking a rash or getting a prescription, Wigginton said.
He declined to disclose the financial terms of the deals, but described them as “relatively modest investments.”
Beyond increasing access, Sutter Health | Aetna also sees cost savings and efficiencies to be had by contracting with med-tech startups, Wigginton said. By shortening the time it takes to get to a doctor and placing more priority on preventative care, the health plan believes it can reduce health care costs, he said. Other cost savings could be achieved through the coordination and data-sharing efforts that Sutter Health and Aetna are making.
Looking to 2020, Wigginton said Sutter Health | Aetna is poised to continue adding partnerships with tech companies. He said the organization finds it more efficient to partner with med-tech companies, rather than develop their capabilities in house.
Wigginton declined to say how many enrollees the health plan has so far. Since its launch, the health plan has landed contracts with large education benefits providers and has added Stanford Health’s physicians to its list of in-network providers.