Today, Propeller Health and Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX) announced a strategic partnership to provide Propeller’s FDA-cleared digital solution to Express Scripts members using inhaler sensors and a mobile app to manage asthma or COPD. This collaboration is the largest respiratory digital health deployment with a pharmacy benefit manager to date.
Propeller’s digital sensors enable remote monitoring for patients enrolled in Express Scripts’ Pulmonary Care Value ProgramSM (PCV), which combines specialized pulmonary pharmacist clinical support, patient engagement and quality-based pharmacy networks to improve patient care while lowering healthcare costs.
Using Bluetooth technology, a Propeller digital sensor is attached to a patient’s inhaler and synced to his or her smartphone. The inhaler activity trends are reviewed by pulmonary pharmacists within Express Scripts’ Pulmonary Therapeutic Resource CenterSM (TRC). When the Pulmonary TRC sees that a patient is overusing their rescue inhaler or is non-adherent with their controller medication, pulmonary pharmacists engage and perform counseling using patient-specific data. Through the Propeller mobile app, patients with asthma or COPD also can track their symptoms and triggers, monitor daily asthma condition forecasts and receive tips to encourage more effective self-management.
Express Scripts members who participated in an early-stage version of this solution saw an 80 percent reduction in average rescue events per day and a significant improvement in adherence to their asthma controller medication.
“Our vision is to help patients with asthma or COPD understand and proactively manage their condition, allowing them to breathe easier day in and day out. Propeller Health’s success in sensor technology empowers patients and enables our pulmonary pharmacists to provide the best care for patients,” said Dr. Glen Stettin, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Express Scripts.
“We’re excited to partner with Express Scripts to bring the benefits of digital medicine and connected respiratory care to their members,” said Propeller co-founder and CEO, David Van Sickle. “With data and guidance from Propeller, members can expect to improve self-management and to receive timely, supportive assistance from the clinical respiratory team at Express Scripts.”
About Propeller
Propeller empowers people with asthma or COPD to live measurably better lives. In 2010 Propeller set out to modernize respiratory medicine, empower people to minimize the impact of asthma or COPD on their daily lives, and connect them to their physicians, environment and community. Propeller’s information-powered approach to respiratory management guides physicians and patients to the optimal path of therapy for each individual. With connected inhalers, digital interfaces, and personalized insights, participants receive personal guidance and expert direction anytime. Backed by 3M Ventures (NYSE: MMM), SR One, Hikma Ventures (LON: HIK), Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE: SFE), Social Capital and other investors, Propeller has been used by patients with asthma or COPD in over 45 commercial programs across the US at major healthcare systems, payers, employers and other commercial partners. The company has been recognized as the recipient of the American Telemedicine Association’s 2016 President’s Award for Innovation in Remote Healthcare, as one of the world’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, and as one of the top “Fierce 15” medical device companies in 2015 by FierceMedicalDevices.
About Express Scripts
Express Scripts puts medicine within reach by practicing pharmacy smarter – taking bold action, delivering specialized care, creating innovative solutions and leveraging data insights – to make better health more affordable and accessible.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Express Scripts provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services, including network-pharmacy claims processing, home delivery pharmacy care, specialty pharmacy care, benefit-design consultation, drug utilization review, formulary management and medical and drug data analysis services. Express Scripts also distributes a full range of biopharmaceutical products and provides extensive cost-management and patient-care services.