HealthTap is now an independent care provider on LillyDirect, Eli Lilly’s digital health platform, the company announced Wednesday. The company will offer diabetes treatment focused on primary care and is the first primary care telehealth company available on LillyDirect.
LillyDirect is a digital healthcare solution that helps patients suffering from obesity, migraine, and diabetes. It helps people find providers and offers access to LillyDirect Pharmacy Solutions, a digital pharmacy for some Lilly medications, such as GLP-1 Zepbound or insulin treatment Basaglar.
Now, with HealthTap, patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes can virtually access a primary care doctor through the LillyDirect platform. This physician provides a continuum of care that addresses multiple comorbidities and preventive needs. Physicians can also provide support in medication management and laboratory review. Additionally, patients can message their doctor between visits.
While patients can access HealthTap through the LillyDirect platform, HealthTap providers are not informed whether the patient arrived through LillyDirect or directly through HealthTap. The primary care provider then bills patients or their insurers for the care. The company accepts commercial insurance, Medicare Advantage plans and some Medicaid programs.
The partnership “signals a shift in how pharmaceutical companies and primary care can responsibly work together to improve the management of chronic diseases,” said Sean Mehra, CEO and co-founder of HealthTap.
“In the recent past, many pharmaceutical-affiliated consumer platforms have directed patients to specifically tailored, single-condition providers,” he said in an email. “In contrast, Lilly’s inclusion of HealthTap, a longitudinal, relationship-based primary care practice, recognizes that true diabetes care requires holistic and ongoing medical engagement for the whole patient, including other comorbidities, risk factors and social determinants.”
There is no financial exchange between LillyDirect and HealthTap in this partnership, he added. Instead, it is designed to make it easier for those who visit LillyDirect to access a primary care doctor if they need one. About 83 million Americans live in areas without adequate access to a primary care doctor. Additionally, more than 38 million Americans struggle with diabetes.
“Our shared goal is to make comprehensive, continuum primary care accessible to more people living with diabetes (and other conditions and prevention goals), especially those who would otherwise rely on fragmented or transactional models of care,” Mehra said. “For Lilly, that means ensuring that patients accessing their medications can easily find doctors who support safe, continuous care. For HealthTap, it advances our mission to put a primary care doctor within reach of every American, empowering millions to build lasting doctor-patient relationships that improve outcomes and reduce long-term costs.”
Other companies providing virtual primary care include Teladoc, MD Live, and Carbon Health.
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