Homeward, https://homewardhealth.com a company focused on improving access to high quality, affordable primary and specialty care in rural areas, has launched an initial $20 million investment from General Catalyst https://www.generalcatalalyst.com.
Homeward is the first investment in General Catalyst’s new $800 million Creation Fund, which focuses on collaborating with world-class executives to create and build new businesses in the firm’s core areas of interest.
Americans living in rural communities see physician shortages increasing, and as a result suffer a mortality rate 23 percent higher than those in urban communities, in part because of the lack of quality care.
Dr. Jennifer Schneider, CEO, Homeward reports, “We believe that by combining easy-to-use technology, evidence-based care delivery, in-home and in community services, and aligning the care model to the right incentives, we will be the first to offer a new approach that will provide high quality care no matter where they live.”
Homeward is rearchitecting rural health and care to deliver a new, hybrid model of technology and services that will immediately increase access to primary care and specialty services. The company will begin with a study on cardiology and then look into areas of the lungs that could be first affected by cancerous cells
Homeward employs a multidisciplinary care team, which is available both virtually and on the ground via mobile care units with in-home remote monitoring that keeps patients connected to their care team.
Rather than rely on broadband in these markets, Homeward is going to employ cellular-based monitoring devices and virtual services to connect to even the most remote members if they show signs of a heart problem early. This will be followed quickly by an in-home visit to test, diagnose, and treat the problem which may be followed by virtual visits until the issue is resolved.
The company will augment rather than displace local primary care physicians and hospitals. When needed, the company will refer their members to local facilities for appropriate and timely care thereby reducing total cost of care and avoiding costly admissions to hospital emergency rooms.
Also, Homeward is initially going to partner with regional Medicare Advantage plans, many of which are seeking innovative solutions to engage traditionally hard-to-reach members living in rural communities.