|03.11.20| CVS Health program for PBMs adds five new digital health programs; Doctor with COVID-19 turns to Twitter

A CVS Health service designed to help CVS Caremark pharmacy benefit-management clients more easily roll out and manage third-party health products has added five new digital health offerings to its lineup.

The program – which has also seen a branding change from "Vendor Benefit Management" to "Point Solutions Management" – was first announced last June with only single participating vendor: Big Health, maker of the cognitive behavioral therapy-based sleep health app, Sleepio.

Now, CVS Caremark clients will have access to the following five digital platforms:

CVS Health said in its announcement that each of these offerings was, and will continue to be, subject to "rigorous clinical, data security and business evaluation, which includes testing of the end-to-end consumer experience by a team of CVS Health clinicians." The company also noted that its service will provide member eligibility and real-time billing verification to clients once these products are adopted.

WHY IT MATTERS

It's no easy task for an organization to vet the growing number of digital health products and services streaming onto the market. The Point Solutions Management program looks to stem this burden for its PBM clients by acting as a gatekeeper and ensuring that the digital health vendors it does recommend generate measurable clinical and financial benefits.

"Plan sponsors increasingly see the value in health care point solutions for improving workforce productivity, satisfaction and overall wellbeing, however with so many options on the market, it can be challenging to identify trusted solutions that best meet the needs of their members," Dr. Sree Chaguturu, Chief Medical Officer at CVS Caremark, said in a statement. "We have analyzed pharmacy and medical claims to identify where these benefits can make a difference and employ a rigorous and transparent evaluation process to assure that any vendor included in Point Solutions Management meets high standards for safety, quality and user experience at the vendor's lowest price in the marketplace."

For the digital health companies themselves, programs like CVS Health's can help effective digital services stand out from the crowd, and ultimately provide a clear avenue toward reimbursement.

THE LARGER TREND

Both the initial announcement of CVS Health's program and today's update come almost in lockstep with those of Express Scripts, which has also been drumming up interest in its so-called digital health formulary. Late 2019 saw the PBM announce its inaugural lineup for the formulary, which consists of 15 digital health programs from Omada Health, LifeScan (powered by Welldoc), Propeller Health, Learn to Live, SilverCloud Health and the only company featured in both companies' services – Livongo.

The early announcements of Express Scripts and CVS Health's initiatives have generally been well received within the digital health community. Last year, Digital Therapeutics Alliance Executive Director Megan Coder told MobiHealthNews that the next step will be unifying the metrics and credentials that PBMs and other are seeking when validating these products.

“I hope that when groups like Express Scripts and CVS move forward that they do look at what the industry has already put together,” she told MobiHealthNews back in July. “We have a really broad group of companies that came together to help define this space and define some best practices. And also important to note is that our membership is international in scope, so we’re really trying to ensure that we have international perspective, recognizing that the products should be of the same level of quality and rigor regardless of where they are developed or used by patients.”

After his coronavirus diagnosis, Dr. Yale Tung Chen, an emergency room doctor at Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid, was sent into quarantine. But this became an opportunity for him to educate the public about the virus.

Now four days into his isolation, Chen has actively posted live updates on Twitter about his condition and fielded questions from fellow Twitter users, providing a first-person point of view.

It’s no secret there is a lot of fear and concern around the spreading virus. This morning the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic. The numbers have been growing – according to the most recent WHO situation report, there are 113,702 confirmed cases and 4,012 deaths from the disease.

“We always have so many questions before these epidemics start. Right now, we are all learning,” Chen told MobiHealthNews Wednesday morning. “It has been a whole new world to me. I never expected a tweet I would send would have this reaction – to go all over the world. I’m in the position to educate people about this disease.”

In addition to just symptoms, Chen has also posted ultrasound scans on Twitter, which he took through Butterfly's smartphone-connected ultrasound device.

So far, his symptoms have been relatively mild – cough, diarrhea and congestion. For Chen, a father of two, the isolation has been the hardest part about the condition.

“Nothing traumatic. Just waiting to get past the symptoms. I’m counting the days to get a second test until I can get out of isolation,” Chen said. “I’m expected to reach that point. The most anxious experience [for] me is not being with my kids and my wife.”

While Chen’s perspective as both a doctor and patient is unique, many industry players have turned to Twitter to help dispel the myths building up around the coronavirus.

The WHO has also dipped into social media to provide accurate information. While the organization has been using Twitter and Facebook for years, it's also posted videos on TikTok to present information on the virus.

However, it can be difficult for new social media users to separate the hype from the reality.

“Many turn to social media as a reaction to this emergency. But the problem is that those people haven't developed a network of friends and trusted sources. In these instances, they follow the drama and not the details,” John Nosta, the president of health tech thought group NostaLab, wrote to MobiHealthNews in an email. “If you're new to social media I would avoid the sensationalized headline and follow well-established sources like the WHO and traditional news outlets. It's good to see that some paywalls have been eliminated so we all can get access to information.”

Several healthcare providers have also taken to social media to call out racist or xenophobic myths linked to the disease. For example, activist and emergency room physician Dr. Esther Choo recently tweeted about ways to combat xenophobia:

“Please help combat xenophobia:

1. Don't call COVID-19 'Chinese coronavirus' or the 'Wuhan virus'

2. Don't shun Asian people or businesses

3. Call out racism in the media when you see it (stories on COVID do not need to have a photo of an Asian person, tyvm),” she tweeted.

Historically, social media has been a mixed bag when it comes to getting medical information. However, as the coronavirus continues to emerge as a major public health concern, several social media giants have laid out plans to curb misinformation.

In early February Facebook announced that it would be removing false claims and conspiracy theories about the disease posted on its social media platforms. The company, with headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., said that it is working with a network of third-party fact checkers to review information. If a piece of information is rated as false, the company pledges to limit its spread on Facebook and Instagram.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the NHS announced that it is working with Google, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to provide the public with accurate information about COVID-19 and prevent the spread of “fake news.”

Google plans on providing verified, easy-to-access NHS guidance when someone searches for information on the virus, while both Twitter and Facebook are directing users to the NHS website.

Overall, the take-home message is an emphasis on precautionary measures.

“I would like to say a message of reassurance to everybody. We know how to prevent it. We need to follow the [guidelines] to prevent the infection,” Chen said. “That is, wash your hands, avoid any mass gathering places, try not to cough on other people. [Those are] the most important measures to follow.”