Doctor on Demand, Grand Rounds Health rebrand as Included Health

Photo: Geber 86/Getty Images

Several months ago, Doctor on Demand and Grand Rounds Health announced plans to merge, and this week heralded the announcement that the two companies, which have been operating independently, will now operate under the banner of Included Health.

The new brand promotes itself as being more inclusive, and this focus was inspired in part by a recent national YouGov survey showing that, while nearly half of Americans are prioritizing their health more since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 43% believe that the very system they rely on feels exclusive.

That survey, conducted among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 U.S. adults, found new and unmet demand: 35% of those polled said the pandemic has made them want to find a doctor they can trust, and nearly 40% said it has made them want to understand their healthcare better. 

But their number one worry remains understanding their health, and one in four of those polled used "confusion" to describe the current healthcare system.

In addition to the confusion, access to comprehensive care can be limited. The demand for behavioral health services is rising and too often unmet, according to Included Health. Among those polled, 60% agree that the current healthcare system needs to provide better access to mental health. Yet, more than 60% of all counties in the country still lack a single psychiatrist.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

One of Included Health's stated goals is to use technology and virtual health to offer more personalized care and access to urgent and specialty care, as well as behavioral health services. This is important, as a recent McKinsey analysis found that 40% of Americans plan to continue to use virtual care when the pandemic is over.

McKinsey found that while telehealth usage has stabilized, it has leveled off at 38 times higher than it was prior to the onset of the coronavirus. Consumer and provider attitudes have also shifted during this time, and some regulatory changes that facilitated telehealth's expanded use have been made permanent – such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' expansion of reimbursable telehealth codes for the 2021 physician fee schedule.

Included Health is partnering with employers and health plans including Walmart and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, and is touting the results of its offerings.

Among them: a 24% reduction in unnecessary medical visits, a 63% reduction in PHQ-9 depression symptoms, a 69% change in treatment recommendations and 35% lower medical costs for members with at least one virtual primary care visit.

THE LARGER TREND

The pandemic has been the catalyst for several partnerships, some of which have come in the form of consolidation. Consolidation, among hospitals and health systems especially, has seen robust activity in recent years, and this trend will most likely continue, Moody's Investors Service found in April.

Larger health systems will pursue M&A to increase market share and to diversify, in terms of both geography and service lines, Moody's said. Smaller providers, meanwhile, have felt that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacted a toll on their financial performance and will likely pursue M&A to gain access to clinical, strategic and financial resources.

In July, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that targeted hospital consolidation, as well as health insurance consolidations, prescription drugs and hearing aids. Consolidation has left many areas, especially rural communities, without good options for convenient and affordable healthcare service, the order said.

It encourages the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to enforce antitrust laws vigorously and "recognizes that the law allows them to challenge prior bad mergers that past Administrations did not previously challenge."

The move drew pushback from the American Hospital Association, which said the current framework has benefited the American economy.

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com