Medicare Advantage insurer Zing Health has tapped Story Health for a new partnership aimed at offering more personalized care for patients with cardiovascular needs.
The two companies announced July 30 that Zing will work to identify members who are at greatest risk for poor outcomes related to heart failure and then connect them with Story's services. Zing's membership includes many "historically underserved" Medicare Advantage members.
Eligible Zing Health members will be connected to Story's clinical team, which includes cardiologists, cardiac nurse practitioners, registered nurses and health coaches, according to the announcement. The program is designed with convenience in mind, as members can access the platform from wherever they may be.
They're not required to visit an in-person clinic unless a particular procedure is required, according to Story.
TJ Ackerman, senior vice president for provider and network performance at Zing Health, told Fierce Healthcare in an interview that given the insurer's member population it has a significant number of patients with cardiovascular disease or heart failure.
There are many patients with cardiovascular needs who are not regularly seeing a provider, he said. The goal of the partnership with Story Health is to offer an additional avenue of access.
"Ultimately, it's up to the patient. We're not forcing them into a relationship with Story," Ackerman said. "They can continue to engage with their existing cardiologist, but it gives them another option, another access point, into the healthcare ecosystem."
Story Health's coaches are positioned to address social needs that members may be facing, assisting with tasks like prescription affordability, home delivery and health literacy. Its model has driven significant engagement with patient populations that face critical access barriers, such as communities of color and rural regions.
The partnership between Zing and Story will also be built on a value-based care framework, tracking measures around engagement and outcomes.
Nita Sommers, co-founder and president of Story Health, said in an interview that the partnership allows both companies to work together to drive better care for a patient population who truly needs it.
"I think we're excited because the patient population really serves as, I think, a core part of the market of who's impacted right now by some of the inequities in the system today," Sommers said.