Mount Sinai Health System has invested in a digital health startup focused on chronic disease, starting with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The company, Trellus Health, has also entered into an exclusive multi-year contract with Mount Sinai to commercialize its patent pending GRITT-IBD resilience assessment and personalized treatment methodology.
Resilience-driven care incorporates positive psychology principles into all aspects of chronic disease management, with a focus on building acceptance, optimism, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and social support. Proven health benefits of resilience include increased longevity, cardiovascular, immune, and cognitive function, as well as physical well-being and reduced risk for depression and anxiety.
Also participating in the $5 million seed funding round is EKF Diagnostics, a medical manufacturer of point-of-care and central lab devices and tests. Ninety-percent of the
United States' $3.3 trillion annual health care expenditure is for chronic diseases, with patients suffering from both chronic medical and mental health conditions costing twice as much, according to the CDC.
Trellus says that despite these cost implications, traditional care models fail to address the emotional well-being of people with chronic conditions, and access to expert interdisciplinary care resources to deliver specialist-level care is highly limited.
"We are transforming the way chronic conditions are treated by developing a resilience-driven connected care platform that integrates precision medicine with psychosocial care," said Monique Fayad, CEO of Trellus Health, in a statement.
The company says it is focusing on building patients' resilience while integrating all partners in care, including employers, insurance plans, health systems, Trellus-certified GI providers, nurses, psychologists, and dieticians who can use Trellus Health's proprietary platform to monitor and communicate with patients and their caregivers in real time. Since 2016, the company's co-founders, Marla Dubinsky, M.D., and Laurie Keefer, Ph.D., who serve as co-directors of the Mount Sinai IBD Medical Home, have integrated resilience-driven multi-disciplinary care into the management of IBD patients.
"Crohn's disease was discovered at Mount Sinai by Dr. Burrill Crohn nearly 100 years ago, and the system has made great strides in enhancing the standard of care and outcomes for our patients," said Erik Lium, president of Mount Sinai Innovation Partners and executive vice president and chief commercial innovation officer at Mount Sinai, in a statement. "We're pleased to partner with Trellus Health to advance commercial development of a resilience-driven approach and connected care model for treating IBD and other complex chronic conditions, making Mount Sinai's technology available to more patients."
