Coming out of stealth a little over a month ago, Lyn Health is just weeks away from launch with its first customers. As a pioneering digital health-tech startup dedicated to people with multiple chronic conditions, Lyn has designed an innovative care model — The Care Circle — that treats each of its members holistically. Managing medical conditions, behavioral health, and social determinants of health, every member is surrounded by a team wholly dedicated to their care.
In our current healthcare ecosystem, most polychronic people experience fragmented, disparate care. Each condition a person has is treated by a different provider, likely with a different medication and care plan to follow. Many burdens including coordination, self-advocacy, information managing and navigating the system all fall on the individual — along with the tasks of daily life.
The Lyn Health Care Circle is the solution. A multidisciplinary team of health and well-being professionals, collaborating to deliver cohesive, effective care. The Care Circle focuses on health behaviors and personal goals that address underlying barriers to simplify care and empower individuals. Let’s dive deeper into the roles within the Care Circle and how they work together.
The Care Circle
With the Member at the center of every circle, the Care Partner sits in the inner ring. They are the single and primary point of contact for each member. The Care Partner supports, guides and empowers members through their healthcare journey, and works on their behalf as a healthcare advocate, coordinator and navigator. With the Care Circle they co-create a single, inclusive and custom Care Plan for each member. They are also the liaison between the member, the rest of the Care Circle, and the broader healthcare ecosystem – including the members’ existing providers. Paired together from day 1, the member and Care Partner build a lasting and trusting relationship.
Our Nurse Care Manager works closely with the Care Partner to create and proactively support each members’ Care Plan. They conduct screenings and assessments, provide health education and support member triage and transition of care. They also coordinate with internal and external providers, and the rest of Care Circle.
Overseeing all of the clinical activities and able to serve as a primary care provider for members is our Medical Director. The Medical Director delivers virtual urgent care, consults with the Care Circle continuously and collaborates with anyone necessary on behalf of the member.
Our Pharmacist integrates medication therapy reviews into every Care Plan, making recommendations related to medication adherence, reconciliation and changes (e.g., dosage, unnecessary drug therapy, etc). They also provide medication education, can recommend lower-cost drug alternatives and pharmacies, and address medication benefit questions.
Incorporating nutrition into each Care Plan, the Dietitian provides tailored education and curates a library of collateral depending on a member’s nutritional needs. Working with the Care Partner they can coordinate prepared meal delivery, custom meal planning, or other nutritional support aligned with a members’ health goals.
With mental health playing such an important role in all our lives, and especially during the Covid pandemic, a dedicated Behavioral Health Specialist is a part of the Care Circle. They incorporate behavioral health into each Care Plan, support escalated member situations and collaborate with external providers and community programs to promote seamless behavioral health care. This is especially important as the majority of people with a long-term physical health condition also have a mental health condition.
Rounding out the Care Circle are Home Health Care services, where the Lyn Care Team can provide in-home medical services to members who need it.
Wanting to test this care model prior to its launch date, Lyn’s pilot program began on December 1st, and initial results are confirming that the Care Circle works. “Our pilot feedback so far is extremely positive” said Dr. Margaret Browne, Head of Clinical Programs and Member Experience at Lyn. “The needs of this specific population of members are complex, with many who have experienced challenges that have discouraged them and disconnected them from the current healthcare system. Our Care Partners and pilot members have built relationships quickly, and we have been able to provide immediate support and relieve members of some of the burdens of their conditions right away.”
In just over one month, our Care Circle has completed an average of two telemedicine visits and exchanged an average of 15 text messages per member. With a reported customer satisfaction rating of 95, and a 97% rating on the quality of communications between provider and member, the receptivity to these services has been significant. From our pilot members: “I felt comfortable, relaxed and confident based on [Care Partners] calm and caring demeanor;” “My Care Partner gave me a lot of momentum to stay accountable regarding my goals!” and “…I wish I could have you for life.”
By design, the Care Circle works to realize Lyn’s mission of Healing Lives Together. Ensuring members feel better, achieve their health goals, and live their lives on their terms – not those defined by their chronic conditions.
Learn more, watch the GeekWire Studios Virtual Roundtable event “Restoring Hope: Tackling Healthcare’s Biggest Challenges Through Collective Action” with Sheila Savageau, Global Health and Well-being Leader at General Motors, Claire Verity, President of Regence BlueShield of Washington, Naomi Allen, Co-founder and CEO of Brightline, and Rick Abbott, Co-founder and CEO of Lyn Health, moderated by Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky, founding Chief Medical Officer, Lyn Health.
