Partnership to Improve Specialty Care for Heart Failure Patients

January 20, 2023 - Intermountain Healthcare and health technology company Story Health announced a partnership to extend access to high-quality heart and vascular care for patients with heart failure using the company’s artificial intelligence-integrated specialty care platform.

According to the press release, the partnership is set to leverage Intermountain’s expertise in healthcare delivery and clinical quality improvement alongside Story Health’s experience in complex care management and scaling continuous specialty care.

Story Health’s solution relies on a combination of AI-based EHR technology and health coaches to help clinicians identify and address access barriers within the patient journey, as a significant part of a heart failure patient’s journey takes place after they leave the clinician’s office.

The press release further indicates that Intermountain's goal for the partnership is to enhance care for heart patients and provide an optimal experience for them and their families through personalized care pathways and improved medication adherence.

"We're always looking for innovative ways to care for patients with heart failure given the clinical importance of improving prescription access and adherence of life-saving medications," said Kismet Rasmusson, a cardiovascular nurse practitioner with the Intermountain Healthcare Heart and Vascular Program, in the press release. "Story Health offers a novel way to improve how medications are optimized using an electronic monitoring platform coupled with health coaches to put the clinical team's plan in place. We are excited to partner with Story Health to learn how such a strategy can help us improve patient care."

Under the partnership, the health system’s clinicians and the company’s health coaches will collaborate to personalize patient care and guide patients through their care plans. The press release states that health coaches will act as patients’ “healthcare partners,” available to respond to patient concerns and questions via call, text, or email.

Health coaches will also serve to remind patients about important medication changes, ensure medication access, and help facilitate any necessary changes safely in-between patient visits with their care team.

The program’s initial work, which is already underway, will focus on implementing Story Health’s platform into the Intermountain system. Program results are set to release in late 2023.

"The Intermountain Heart and Vascular team continuously evaluates innovative ways to enhance the value of care we deliver," said Sheralee Petersen, executive clinical director of the Intermountain Heart and Vascular Program, in the press release. "This collaboration with Story Health is an excellent example, offering a new approach to engaging and empowering patients. Together we aim to reduce heart failure mortality and readmissions while improving quality of life through evidence-based care."

This partnership is just one of the efforts currently being made to use AI to improve heart failure care.

In November, Mayo Clinic researchers showed that an AI algorithm could be applied to Apple Watch ECG recordings to detect weak heart pumps, enabling the detection of heart failure earlier and outside of a clinical setting.

Early detection of heart failure is critical to reducing adverse outcomes, but weak heart pumps often go unidentified as some patients may not experience symptoms. However, symptoms may emerge when the heart cannot pump enough oxygen-rich blood, leading to shortness of breath, a rapid heart rate, or swelling of the legs.

The AI tool is designed to detect weak heart pumps and other heart issues in those who may not be experiencing symptoms. The tool accurately identified weak heart pumps in a study cohort of 2,454 study participants, indicating that digital health tools may provide inexpensive, effective, and convenient screening options for chronic diseases and potentially life-threatening conditions.