Maryland Insurer CareFirst Launches Virtual-First Primary Care Business

Almost 40 percent of the members served by CareFirst, a BlueCross BlueShield insurer serving 3.4 million individuals in Maryland and the Washington metropolitan area, don’t have a primary care provider. CareFirst is launching a virtual-first primary care practice to help close that gap.

Called CloseKnit, the primary care delivery model will offer a variety of care services, including preventive and urgent care, behavioral and mental health, care coordination, insurance navigation and more. The goal is to deliver continuous and connected care that’s affordable, transparent about costs and conveniently accessible through an easy-to-use app.

“Our transformation of healthcare means we’re looking at every aspect of the system that impacts our members and their ability to access quality care and taking action to make positive change for them,” said Brian Pieninck, president and CEO of CareFirst, in a statement. “We created CloseKnit because people deserve an enhanced, modern care experience that meets their expectations, needs and preferences for choice in how they connect and experience care.” He added that the new offering would make it easy to access care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Headquartered in Baltimore, and designed by CareFirst’s innovation and investment arm, Healthworx, CloseKnit's practice’s care teams will treat most cases virtually and provide in-person care through referrals to local providers when needed.

All CareFirst commercial members are eligible to join CloseKnit with costs paid through a member’s insurance benefits. The CloseKnit practice app is available for download in the Apple and Google app stores.

“We built CloseKnit around people, remaining focused on managing a person’s whole health to provide an affordable, total health experience that’s personalized and meets them where they are,” said Mary Jane Favazza, CEO of CloseKnit, in a statement. “Our practice is adaptable and ready to conveniently respond to the unique needs of our patients virtually and in-person when necessary. For those who aren’t looking for a primary care provider, we can be there for urgent services. Helping people understand the value of primary care, how to navigate the healthcare system and what things will cost ahead of time is core to our mission: providing accessible, affordable and comprehensive care to people with transparency and accountability.”