Innovative Program Will Help Physicians Manage Chronic IBD Between Visits
CHICAGO, September 26, 2023 — SonarMD, the company leading value-based care enablement in digestive health, has signed new partnerships with gastroenterology practices in Illinois as part of an agreement with a major health plan in the state.
SonarMD works collaboratively with practices to help them proactively manage the health of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — in between in-office appointments.
IBD patients at these practices who are members of the health plan will have free access to the easy-to-use SonarMD tool, which they can use to track their GI symptoms in the privacy of their own home. If the SonarMD program identifies a patient with worsening conditions, SonarMD assesses their needs and enables their own practices’ care teams to quickly address them — so patients can avoid an emergency room visit or hospital stay.
“We are excited to partner with SonarMD to enhance care for our patients in between office visits without adding to the workload of our staff,” said Rocky Yapp, MD, a gastroenterologist with Digestive Health Services, a division of GI Partners of Illinois and a practice newly using SonarMD. “Most importantly, we will be improving the quality of care for patients who suffer from this complex and challenging disease.”
The U.S. spends about $136 billion annually on digestive health, with much of that spend attributable to chronic gut health conditions with symptoms that are difficult to predict, treat, and manage. SonarMD’s solution is proven to prevent ER visits and hospitalizations among IBD patients.
“Innovative, value-focused health plans recognize that IBD is a chronic, complex condition with symptoms that can quickly escalate,” said Beth Houck, CEO, SonarMD. “That’s why they’re working with us to forge new partnerships with GI providers in their network. We’re giving GI practices the ability to closely track their patients’ progression, which can improve loyalty and outcomes while keeping patients out of high-cost sites of care.”
About SonarMD
SonarMD partners with health plans and GI practices in their network to enable value-based care. We use remote patient monitoring, algorithms and expert support to help GI practices proactively identify emerging health issues and address problems before they escalate to a hospitalization or visit to the emergency department. Our curated partnerships also support whole health, including emotional well-being, nutrition and sleep management. Our approach is proven to keep people healthier and help health plans reduce costs by 15% per member per year. Visit SonarMD.com to learn more.
