We recently announced the expansion of GIThrive, which will allow us to better serve our members through enhanced technology and virtual care. But what exactly does that mean from a clinical perspective? We asked our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hau Liu, to tell us what this means for our members and how it improves our clinical efficiency. Read more to hear from Dr. Liu about some of the most exciting offerings of our expanded care model, available summer 2023.*
When I joined Vivante Health in 2022, I was excited to be part of a company that develops innovative solutions to help people with digestive diseases, conditions that affect more than 70 million Americans every year. As a physician, I understand firsthand how difficult it can be for people to access the care they need, especially when demand is high and wait times are long. This is why I am so excited about the expansion of our GIThrive platform.
This new enhancement is a natural extension of our existing care model and will allow us to help more people get the care they need, regardless of where they live With access to a coordinated care team of physicians, registered dietitians, and health coaches, we will be able to provide care across a broad spectrum of clinical needs.
As a physician, I know firsthand that it can be easy to prescribe a medication but hard to counsel and drive behavioral change. By providing access to a coordinated multidisciplinary care team, we can treat the whole member: our dietitians and health coaches are trained to help members set goals and drive behavior change, and now we can connect those members with physicians who can diagnose and treat medical conditions. We can provide care across multiple modalities.That might be frictionless access to a colorectal cancer screening kit delivered to a member’s home. Or it could be access to self-guided behavioral health modules to manage stress. Maybe it’s an appointment with a physician to discuss worsening digestive symptoms without a clear diagnosis. We will be able to help them get that care more effectively and efficiently.
We’re not aiming to replace gastroenterologists in the local setting because we understand that many people have existing relationships with their doctors – we want to preserve and enhance these relationships. Instead, our focus is on providing coordinated care and filling gaps in care to help our members get the support they need.
One of the things that excites me the most about this enhancement is the AI technology behind the scenes that will help guide members to the next best clinical intervention. This doesn’t replace the need for our team of care providers – in fact, it helps power their excellent care. By using AI, we can identify a personalized bundle of services to help manage a member’s health and provide recommendations for what their next best step will be.
Another thing that excites me is how we’ll have the capability to identify clinical issues early to help avoid these issues from turning into something more severe in the future. For example, if we can catch colon cancer in its earliest stages (or prevent it all together), we can prevent debilitating treatment and costs later on.
70% of GIThrive members today don’t have a diagnosis but still experience symptoms, sometimes very severe. This new enhancement will help us better serve these members by providing them recommendations, testing and treatment they need to feel their best.
I am so proud to be a part of a company that is dedicated to providing high-quality, personalized care to people living with gastrointestinal issues. With this expansion of the GIThrive platform, we are taking a major step forward in our mission to improve the lives of people with chronic digestive conditions.
*If you’re a current Vivante Health customer and are interested in exploring these new enhanced offerings, contact your client success representative to learn more.