How can asynchronous telehealth and clinical decision support drive value in today’s healthcare landscape? That’s a question we’re constantly looking to answer at Bright.md. Recently, in an effort to increase access to life-saving medication for Covid-19, Bright.md introduced an integrated, seamless approach for health systems to prescribe Paxlovid, the oral antiviral pill designed to aid in treatment for high-risk, Covid-19 patients. In fact, a new study conducted by infectious disease researchers out of Brigham & Women’s Hospital found Paxlovid reduces odds of hospitalization for certain Covid-19 strains by 45 percent.
“This argues for the routine use of Paxlovid in high-risk individuals and concretizes its value as a medical countermeasure,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Asynchronous telehealth’s role in addressing Covid-19
Evidence-based asynchronous telehealth is uniquely positioned to increase access to life-saving medications like Paxlovid for those who need it most, while making it easy and efficient for providers to prescribe the drug. In fact, Paxlovid is in Bright.md’s 20 most-prescribed medications for patients this past year for upper respiratory infections, including over-the-counter treatments. Paxlovid prescribed by providers through Bright.md is also in the top 25 most-prescribed medications for patients this year across all 130+ diagnoses that our solution covers.
Speed is critical for Paxlovid’s efficacy. Through Bright.md, physicians can prescribe Paxlovid to patients within five days of the onset of Covid-19 symptoms, without exposing others in urgent care or clinic settings. Improving access lies at the heart of our solution, which is why the patient cost to get treatment through our platform is $30 per patient on average, as set by our health system partners—for those insured and uninsured. This addresses concerns from public health experts who have stated those without health insurance could have difficulty obtaining Paxlovid.
We’re bridging gaps in access and equity in additional ways as well. Bright.md is available in Spanish or English, and no broadband is required to use it; patients can complete an interview using their mobile phone, tablet, or computer. In turn, patients without transportation or access to in-person care can receive Paxlovid easily, online, on their own time.
Bright.md’s impact during the pandemic
Throughout the height of Covid-19, Bright.md partnered closely with health systems to help innovate and address pain points for patients and providers. In January 2020, we added Covid-19 screening questions to our platform, as health systems saw an onslaught of patients seeking care for Covid shortly after. By March, Bright.md had rolled out a coronavirus screening tool—free of charge—that could be up and running on a system’s website in two days or less.
Our mission, overall, is to improve healthcare for both patients and providers, which made our Covid-19 screening tool a natural decision. For providers, we alleviate administrative burden by automating the more tedious parts of healthcare. With our Covid-19 screening tool, in the first year live, 225,000 patients were screened for Covid, saving more than 35,000 clinical hours.
Today, our evidence-based patient interviews within our core asynchronous solution help providers diagnose Covid-19 using Bright.md. Many of our health system partners diagnose Covid-19 through Bright.md and recommend how and where to get tests. Additionally, our After Visit Summaries include the latest CDC guidelines for patients. Adding Paxlovid to Bright.md’s treatment options for Covid-19 is our latest way of innovating with our health system partners.
For patients, education is also key with Paxlovid. Bright.md’s patient interview isn’t simply a “stock” set of questions; instead, Bright.md’s interview flow mimics the history-taking, face-to-face conversation between a patient and provider, ensuring a thorough intake. Additionally, our After Visit Summary provides patients with details on what they’re prescribed, its side effects, and their treatment course, including when patients are prescribed Paxlovid.
How Covid-19 treatment Paxlovid availability drives value for health systems
With Bright.md, health systems’ offering of Paxlovid aids with continuity of care while keeping patients in your health system—versus losing them to direct-to-competitor offerings. When it comes to Paxlovid, this is especially critical due to its interactions with other drugs—and because, as as many public health experts point out, successful Covid-19 care doesn’t stop with a prescription for Paxlovid.
Through Bright.md’s platform, providers review clinical patient interviews and are ultimately the decision-makers to prescribe Paxlovid. From there, the physician confirms the evidence-based diagnosis and treatment plan presented by Bright.md.
Bright.md’s integration with the health system’s EHR also means medical history and potential drug interactions are flagged for the provider. Detailed patient information is automatically gathered from the health record and Bright.md’s clinical decision support, offering a diagnosis and treatment plan for the provider to review. If a specific interaction is detected, Bright.md will present the class of drugs in the chart note for the provider to review, alongside patient-reported current medications.
How patients feel about Bright.md’s Paxlovid offering
As health systems grapple with decreasing profit margins and direct-to-consumer options making a play for low-acuity patients, having solutions that patients like and use is critical to your tech stack and your bottom line.
Patients not only use Bright.md when offered as an option for common conditions—they’re also satisfied with their experience. Bright.md has a 96 percent patient satisfaction rate, meaning our asynchronous telehealth platform helps you both attract and retain patients for low-acuity common conditions, while creating loyal patients who return to your system for care in the future.
When it comes to receiving Paxlovid through their health system with Bright.md, patients have shared their stories about the experience:
“It was amazing! Super quick – and it was on a Sunday! They sent a prescription for Paxlovid and [my health system] pharmacy filled it immediately! The whole process was super quick & efficient – especially when you’re not feeling well and don’t want to have to get ready & drive somewhere for care. It was a wonderful experience.“
“I home-tested positive for Covid on Saturday. Without Bright.md, I doubt that I could have received Paxlovid in a timely manner (the scheduler couldn’t get me an appointment until Tuesday).”
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