Carbon Health offers an innovative healthcare solution that blends physical clinics, virtual care, and remote patient monitoring into one comprehensive solution. Recently, Carbon partnered with John Muir Health to increase healthcare access in the Bay Area.
Carbon Health Connect, a partnership ecosystem established by these companies to deliver high-quality primary and urgent patient care through modern front-door clinics, virtual services, and home visits, will soon launch.
Convenience
Carbon Health, a startup developing a mobile platform to connect patients to urgent and primary care services, has merged with the Northern California-based Direct Urgent Care network. Together, they will operate seven brick-and-mortar clinics serving over 40,000 active patients and an integrated telehealth app featuring appointment management, payment processing, EHR access, and prescription fulfillment features for an all-encompassing continuum of care delivery experience.
The company plans to expand its services nationwide, particularly emphasizing urban areas with high levels of COVID-19 activity. Their omnichannel care model offers in-person clinics, telehealth services, and remote patient monitoring via partnerships with employers, health systems, and other healthcare ecosystem partners.
Nita Sommers, chief growth officer of Carbon Health, informs FierceHealthcare that Carbon Health has recently narrowed down on its main goal: modernizing the front-door experience. Their inaugural partnership in the Bay Area with John Muir Health will form part of their new Carbon Health Connect program; this allows John Muir Health to redirect low-acuity patients away from its emergency departments, thereby relieving some burden.
Carbon Health’s arrangement will also streamline the transfer of patients from primary care providers to specialist care, with technology and operational integrations between companies to ensure Carbon Health’s digital care platforms, such as telehealth, are compatible with partners’ existing systems. According to Sommers, this will help overcome barriers such as payment issues or incongruent insurance networks and reduce barriers like payment issues and issues that have to do with incoherent networks. It also includes working closely with future program partners so referrals return to primary care to keep original clinicians updated.
Carbon Health will implement its new program arrangements region-by-region, beginning with its 60 or so urgent and primary care clinics in California as its initial step. Additional clinics may follow as the company expands toward CEO Eren Bali’s goal of 1,500 U.S. locations by 2025; its most recent move–securing a $100 million investment from CVS Health’s corporate venture arm to accelerate expansion–was driven by this increased emphasis on patient experience at the front door.
Faster Treatments
Carbon Health Urgent Care offers comprehensive healthcare, from treatments for injuries to testing for certain conditions, from physical exams and X-rays and referrals if necessary. Their headquarters is in San Francisco, but there are locations throughout the U.S.
Carbon Health is a technology-enabled healthcare provider revolutionizing primary and urgent care experiences with its friendly clinic network and an end-to-end patient experience that puts patients first. Backed by engineers, designers, and expert physicians working together toward making world-class care personal, transparent, and accessible for everyone, Carbon Health strives to make world-class care personal, transparent, and accessible to everyone.
The company strives to give patients an uninterrupted transition between virtual and in-person care, using a cutting-edge platform that has revolutionized clinical workflows and enabled a higher-quality care experience with reduced physician costs and increased efficiency. Furthermore, patients now have access to their medical records and the option of scheduling telemedicine appointments through this innovative solution.
Carbon Health has also explored new methods of providing services at physical care centers, for instance, partnering with CVS Health to trial its primary and urgent care clinic model in select stores of their drugstore chain – providing both companies with an opportunity to explore value-based care arrangements.
Since 2015, Direct Urgent Care has experienced rapid expansion. Already possessing over 60 clinics throughout California, it is set to open 15-20 more locations this year. Furthermore, its subsidiary Direct Urgent Care also provides homecare services.
Carbon Health’s omnichannel care approach allows patients to connect with doctors and their teams via in-person clinic visits, video telemedicine visits, or via the connected app. Furthermore, patients can book same-day appointments for care visits via the corresponding app, gain access to their health records, and receive medication reminders through this same-day booking feature.
Carbon Health stands out from other urgent care providers by not requiring appointments, making them an excellent option for people needing quick care but don’t want to wait to see a physician. Not only is Carbon Health fast and convenient, but it is also affordable.
Personalized Care
Carbon Health’s goal is to make excellent healthcare accessible. Their combination of innovative technology with inviting clinics provides patients with a personalized experience – in-person visits, virtual appointments, and remote monitoring are available as options to access care; additionally, they connect patients to specialists through the platform, and an omnichannel model allows seamless navigation along the continuum of primary and chronic care services.
The company’s telehealth app supports appointment management, payment processing, EHR access, and patient prescription fulfillment. Their telehealth team assists patients through the care process using data from patient sensors and wearable devices as part of a diagnosis and treatment plan. Furthermore, this company offers patients a complimentary digital wellness program to prevent disease and promote overall well-being.
Carbon Health acquired virtual diabetes management startup Steady Health and home healthcare tech firm Alertive to expand into the physical healthcare space, leading CVS Health to pilot Carbon’s primary and urgent care clinic model in some stores.
CVS’ investment in Carbon Health through its Series D round will accelerate its expansion into new markets and encourage value-based care arrangements. Through this partnership, Carbon Health can leverage its network of physical care locations to offer patients everything from symptom checkers and telehealth appointments to specialist referrals.
Carbon Health offers virtual urgent care services in all 50 states through its virtual care business, Carbon Health Telehealth. Their telehealth platform has over one million users. It can treat conditions ranging from minor injuries and infections, acute illness, and chronic diseases like asthma and COPD to minor injuries that require little treatment, like phone calls with doctors or videoconference calls with patients through smartphones or tablets. Their platform also supports an extensive database of clinical guidelines and other evidence-based content to ensure patients get optimal care.
Affordability
Carbon Health offers an innovative omnichannel care model that combines in-clinic visits, virtual visits, and home services such as remote patient monitoring. At virtual care appointments, physicians discuss a patient’s primary symptoms and overall health to develop an individualized care plan – including a diagnosis sent directly through the Carbon Health app for easy access.
This company’s e-prescribing services enable patients to receive prescriptions from doctors during virtual visits and send them directly to any nearby pharmacy. Furthermore, this app provides patients with a full range of patient engagement features like appointment reminders, payments, and health records management – providing comprehensive patient engagement features at their fingertips.
Carbon Health stands out from competitors by offering quality healthcare at an accessible price point. Their telemedicine services are typically covered by insurance plans or reimbursed after each visit. At the same time, their clinics offer low copay prices – making them a more cost-effective alternative than urgent care and emergency rooms for many consumers.
Walk-in clinics typically have nurses and physician assistants trained in treating minor conditions but lack the technology or resources to handle complex or severe injuries. An urgent care center offers much greater capabilities because its medical team includes doctors with additional specialty training who can order diagnostic tests and treatments more effectively than their walk-in counterparts.
Carbon Health’s merger with Direct Urgent Care led it to partner with John Muir Health for the Bay Area expansion. Carbon Health patients will have seamless access to primary, specialty, and hospital-based care through John Muir Connect’s ecosystem through this alliance.
Carbon Health recently made headlines for their acquisitions of diabetes management startup Steady Health and remote patient monitoring company Alertive. They also raised $100 million from CVS Health Ventures to scale their primary and urgent care clinic model within CVS stores. Their ambitious plans involve becoming something similar to One Medical’s vast clinic network capable of treating chronic and acute illnesses.
