Carrum Health announced a new partnership with Northern Light Health in Maine to offer Carrum’s Centers of Excellence (COE) platform at Northern Light Mercy Hospital and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.
The partnership makes it easier for self-insured employers in Maine and greater New England to lower healthcare costs and improve clinical outcomes.
Carrum Health’s existing customers in Maine, including the State of Maine employee health plan and Jackson Labs, will have access to best-in-class orthopedic care for employees and dependents at both Northern Light Mercy Hospital and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. Best-in-class bariatric services will be available at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center as well. Employees and dependents of Carrum’s large Fortune 500 customers also will have the ability to receive outstanding care in their region through the two locations.
“Our collaboration with Carrum Health showcases the excellent care we provide at Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for residents in Maine,” said Jonathan Hutter, director, Brand and Marketing at Northern Light Health. “Together, we can provide access to orthopedic and bariatric care services at affordable and predictable costs close to home.”
BrightMD: To help meet the demands of possible novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks in local communities across the nation, Bright.md is offering a free COVID-19 evaluation, screening and escalation tool to all hospitals in the U.S. In line with the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommendations to leverage telehealth to mitigate the spread of the virus, the free screening tool will allow patients to get advice from home, 24 hours a day, steering them away from emergency departments or urgent care clinics unless the severity of their condition warrants in-person care.
“The COVID-19 scare will likely cause an overwhelming demand for hospital facilities and clinical resources, making it difficult to treat patients who need care the most,” said Ray Costantini, M.D., Bright.md CEO and co-founder. “Crowded emergency departments also raise the risk of spreading viruses—whether it’s COVID-19 or the common flu—to sick people at the facility, as well as to the larger community.”
To combat this potential threat, hospitals can add Bright.md’s free screening tool, based on its market-leading asynchronous virtual care delivery platform, SmartExam, to their websites. The online tool guides patients through a dynamically adaptive online medical interview, reviewing their symptoms and health history, as well as possible exposure to COVID-19. If the patient presents with a high-risk of COVID-19 infection, the software will direct the patient to the hospital’s appropriate venue for care, as well as provide education about the new virus. Patients determined not to have a high risk of COVID-19 will receive instructions for at-home care, also keeping them out of the emergency department. Bright.md’s rapid-response team will update the COVID-19 screening tool with all new CDC recommendations and guidelines as they become available.
Hospitals interested in adding Bright.md’s free virtual care tool should email covid19@bright.md.
Medical billing business Rivet closed an $8.25 million series A round led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from Lux Capital and Pelion Venture Partners. Croom Beatty, a principal at Menlo Ventures, will join Rivet’s board as part of the funding round. To read more, click here.
Fruit Street Health, a digital health startup offering a virtual diabetes prevention program, raised $17 million in a new round of funding from physicians. At last count, more than 300 physicians have invested in the business. To read more, click here.
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