In March 2022, several former executives of Livongo announced a startup called Homeward to partner with Medicare Advantage plans to improve care in rural areas. Now the company has formed a relationship with Rite Aid to provide access to comprehensive care for those living in rural areas.
When it was launched with an initial $20 million investment from General Catalyst, the company said it would deliver a hybrid model of technology and services in order to increase access to primary care and specialty services in rural settings, beginning with cardiology. Homeward employs a multidisciplinary care team, available both virtually and on the ground via mobile care units, with in-home remote monitoring. Rather than rely on broadband in these markets, Homeward said it will employ cellular-based monitoring devices and virtual services to better connect to even the most remote members.
Homeward noted that pharmacists are among the most trusted members of a local community – especially for the more than 50 percent of Americans living with a chronic condition. Today, Rite Aid has over 6,300 pharmacists across 2,300 locations, including 700 pharmacy locations in rural areas, many of which are healthcare deserts with limited access to doctors and hospitals.
Beginning this summer, Homeward and Rite Aid will partner to connect underserved seniors with providers and other clinical services. Rite Aid pharmacists will be able to introduce Medicare-eligible customers to Homeward's clinical services, including annual wellness visits, screenings, and risk assessments. In addition, Rite Aid will host Homeward's mobile care units at select rural Michigan locations to provide care and services to underserved communities with the goal of expanding to additional markets nationwide.
“As we rearchitect health and care for rural Americans, we must consider the specific needs of millions living in these communities and so-called healthcare deserts. In these areas, we can't assume that ‘if you build it, they will come.’ Instead, we're creating convenient opportunities for care within the daily lives and routines of rural Americans," said Jennifer Schneider, M.D., Homeward’s CEO, in a statement. “Rite Aid is a highly recognized and trusted pharmacy services company with rural locations that serve many thousands of people every day. Through our partnership, we'll be able to connect individuals to our services as we improve access to critical, frontline services in these communities.”
Homeward said it would provide in-network services, including primary care and specialty care beginning with cardiology, in the third quarter of 2022 for individuals covered by Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. The company said it would set aside the fee-for-service model, which defaults to in-clinic care settings and limits the ability to leverage new, innovative technology and services, in favor of a value-based, total capitation model.
