PLEASANTON, Calif. (PRWEB)
December 02, 2020

Amidst a pandemic in which many Americans are delaying medical care due to COVID-19 concerns, ConnectWell, a leading-edge provider of digital health and wellness content, and Outgrow, a leader in creating interactive online experiences, today introduced a suite of turnkey interactive digital health tools designed to re-engage, educate, and connect people to care. The companies co-developed the new virtual tools for healthcare providers, health plans, employers, and benefits providers seeking to re-engage those they serve using evidence-based health and wellness information as the driver and the means to access care.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that by the end of Q2 this year, 41 percent of U.S. adults acknowledged that they had delayed or avoided healthcare due to concerns related to COVID-19.* Separately, a study of primary care revealed that during the same quarter, even with exponential growth in telehealth appointments, there was still a 21.4 percent decline in primary care visits overall in the U.S. compared to Q2 in 2018 and 2019. Vital health measurements connected with those Q2 visits also declined, with decreases of 50.1 and 36.9 percent in blood pressure and cholesterol checks, respectively.**

While the kind of user-friendly interactive tools provided by the ConnectWell-Outgrow suite are useful for reconnecting anyone to care, they are especially vital for re-engaging people with COVID-related health risks to help them bolster their health and better protect themselves during a surging pandemic.

“The value of these tools stems from Outgrow’s track record of creating engaging interactive experiences that prompt user action combined with ConnectWell’s expertise in developing consumer-friendly digital health content, which is expertly sourced from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, a pioneer in creating evidence-based health and wellness information,” said Andrea Bloom, Founder and CEO of ConnectWell.

The interactive digital health tools have three components—risk assessments, knowledge tests, and reading recommendations that inform and educate people on 11 key conditions. These conditions represent COVID-19 health risks that impact a significant portion of the U.S. population, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, lung infection, asthma, COPD, and depression. Healthcare organizations, benefits providers, and employers can use these interactive digital health tools with their populations virtually. This enables patients, employees, and health plan members to safely assess their risk online for these manageable conditions. The tools will also provide them with the opportunity to learn more about conditions that warrant attention, and reduce their risk of delaying diagnosis or serious complications by seeking follow-up care.

“Working jointly with ConnectWell, our aim has been to enable Health and Wellness companies and HR departments to educate their patients and employees to learn about health risks and best practices for a healthy lifestyle,” said Randy Rayess, Co-founder of Outgrow. “We do this by providing access to vetted health content from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, including knowledge surveys, risk assessments, and article recommendations, while helping people take the next steps in connecting with the care they need.”

Healthcare organizations understand the need for these kinds of virtual care tools, yet to create them from the ground up would require extensive resources during a time when healthcare organizations are already stretched thin. It requires contracting with both an interactive software platform and a digital health content provider, then securing or allocating significant internal resources with expertise in content and software development as well as health condition management.

The ConnectWell-Outgrow suite of digital health tools, on the other hand, is a turnkey solution that comes fully developed from collaborators with top-tier expertise in creating interactive digital engagement experiences and expertly sourced and vetted consumer health content. And the tools are customizable, enabling companies to steer those they serve to connect with the care they need, based on their risk assessments. This can include prompts for scheduling lab tests and appointments with appropriate providers, connecting users with a call center, arranging for health coaching, and more. The ConnectWell-Outgrow suite also provides reporting and analytics, enabling customers to gain insights on the usage of the tools as well as the population health data of users on an aggregate level.

The ConnectWell-Outgrow digital health tools can be integrated with the virtual care experience of a range of organizations. Healthcare providers are looking to reconnect, re-engage, and restore interactions with patients who have dropped off. Health plans are seeking to keep member populations healthy through a digital delivery option. Employers are working to keep office-based and remote employees healthy, productive, and safe. Whereas benefit providers are looking to bundle interactive digital health tools with their wellness program and benefits packages.

ConnectWell and Outgrow are building out these turnkey digital health tools across dozens of health conditions to expand this initial launch and further engage people in care through early detection and intervention. To learn more about the ConnectWell-Outgrow interactive digital health tools, please visit the page about the tools on the ConnectWell website.

About ConnectWell

ConnectWell is a leading-edge provider of digital health and wellness content that is academically sourced and designed for a consumer audience to engage people in their total health and well-being. ConnectWell’s public-private partnership with the UC Berkeley School of Public Health guarantees access to a vast library of health and wellness content that is continually reviewed and updated to include the latest standard of care guidelines and scientific findings on health, wellness, and disease management. ConnectWell licenses its content to healthcare providers, health plans, telemedicine providers, wellness engagement platforms, health device companies, employers, and benefits providers to engage their target audiences in their health and well-being.

About UC Berkeley School of Public Health and Health & Wellness Publications

For more than 70 years, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health has been a leading institution in public health education and research, contributing to the improved health and welfare of communities, the state, and the world. The Health & Wellness Publications of the School of Public Health date back to 1984, when the Berkeley Wellness Letter was founded. UC Berkeley experts carefully examine the latest health and wellness information so readers can make quality lifestyle choices and self-care decisions.

About Outgrow

Outgrow has been the G2 Crowd Market Leader in the interactive industry for 3 years in a row and has been ranked the #1 B2B Tech Company in New York. Outgrow’s interactive experiences have a proven record of increasing engagement, providing personalized value to every single person, increasing the time they spend on your educational efforts, the value they receive and their chances of making positive changes in their lives.

Media Contact:

Jeff Christensen

SignalWest Public Relations

Email: Jeff@SignalWestPR.com

Mobile: 831.566.0275

*“Delay or Avoidance of Medical Care Because of COVID-19–Related Concerns — United States, June 2020,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 Sept. 2020

**“Use and Content of Primary Care Office-Based vs Telemedicine Care Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US,” JAMA Network Open, 2 Oct. 2020