Tuesday Health gets $60 million investment for end-of-life care

Photo: John Fedele/Getty Images

Raising $60 million, Tuesday Health has launched an app and supportive care for seriously ill Medicare patients, in partnership with Valtruis, Blue Venture Fund, Mass General Brigham Ventures and CareSource. 

Tuesday Health was launched in 2023 from a partnership of Valtruis and Mass General Brigham Ventures. CEO Jim Wieland was former president of Magellan Specialty Health, which was sold to Centene and then to Evolent Health.

The funds will be used in four ways, Wieland said.

First, the company is hiring people who have done this work at scale. This includes a technology expert, HR person and leaders in finance and operations, as well as nurses and social workers. Some have transferred from Magellan, Wieland's former company.

Secondly, the funds are building the clinical structure for the management model to ensure care plans are evidenced-based and for the technology for remote monitoring.

The mytuesday app is a symptom-monitoring tool using technology from Mass General Brigham Ventures. Mass General piloted the app for oncology pain management. The results were an incredible 26% reduction in pain scores and a 69% reduction in pain related hospital admissions. Wieland said.

As pain intensifies, Tuesday Health is able to intervene through phone calls, video calls and sending in clinicians. Without an intervention, the pain could escalate to the point where the patient would need to be transported to the hospital, he said. 

The fourth focus of the funds is to launch from three to five pilots this year, Wieland said. The first will be in July with an Ohio health plan.

Tuesday Health's business model is focused on Medicare, Medicare and Medicaid dual eligibles, as well as on accountable care organizations, Medicare Shared Savings Program participants and others in risk programs.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Tuesday Health plans to reduce costs for patients who are at the end of life through reducing hospitalizations and by filling gaps in the current system.

Tuesday Health said it facilitates a transition from Medicare Advantage, Medicaid or commercial insurance into hospice care when appropriate, offering a coordinated and integrated experience for patients and caregivers.

Despite the recognized benefits of supportive care in improving patient experiences and quality of life, significant barriers exist, the company said. Whether in traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage or dual coverage Medicare/Medicaid plans, seniors and their families face a confusing and uncoordinated set of choices in their final years. This leads to increased hospitalizations, higher healthcare costs, and reduced overall efficiency in the healthcare system, the company said. 

"The wonderful, but outdated Medicare Hospice Benefit structure further exacerbates these challenges, creating obstacles and adverse incentives for hospice providers striving to deliver optimal patient care and for insurers trying to provide seniors seamless coverage," Tuesday Health said. 

THE LARGER TREND

Tuesday Health said it aligns care between patient and caregivers from diagnosis to treatment. 

The alliance between Tuesday Health, Valtruis, Blue Venture Fund, Mass General Brigham Ventures, and CareSource is fueled by a shared vision to revolutionize supportive care and improve experiences for patients and caregivers, the company said.  

ON THE RECORD

"Leveraging clinical expertise, advanced data solutions, and cutting-edge technology, while partnering with Ohio's largest Medicaid plan, its largest hospice provider and the unmatched palliative care experience of Mass General, Tuesday Health is dedicated to tackling one of healthcare's biggest challenges-providing support and care in the right setting, at the right time, for those facing serious illness," Wieland said by statement.

"We built Tuesday Health to identify and engage patients and caregivers earlier in the course of disease so that we can take proactive, clinically proven measures to address their evolving needs over time, including appropriate transitions to high-quality hospice care when the time is right," said Dr. Mihir Kamdar, head of care delivery of Tuesday Health and former section head of palliative care at Mass General Brigham. "Our experienced team has tremendous expertise when it comes to meaningful interventions for the seriously ill, and a deep-rooted belief in the importance of modernizing supportive care for patients and their caregivers."

Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org