MDLive expands virtual primary care platform to improve chronic condition management

Evernorth's MDLive is rolling out enhanced support for patients with chronic conditions as part of its virtual primary care platform, the telehealth provider announced Monday.

Beginning next year, millions of people who have access to MDLive's services through their health benefits will be able to access new chronic condition management tools, Cigna, Evernorth's parent company, said in an announcement. The program will initially launch for patients with hypertension and expand to other conditions throughout 2023.

Members will work with their MDLive primary care provider to create a personalized care plan to manage their condition, including lab work, medication management, lifestyle goals and referrals to other providers if needed. Between visits, the doctor will be able to track the patient's progress through remote monitoring devices such as a blood pressure cuff or glucose meter.

The goal, MDLive executives said, is to create a seamless experience that puts more critical information at the physician's fingertips.

“This is the first virtual primary care program that will feed a constant stream of insights between the primary care physician, other health providers and the patient to enable better coordination of care,” said Maggie Williams, M.D., medical director for MDLive Virtual Primary Care, in the release.

“Our primary care physicians will work with their patients to personalize a care plan and stay actively engaged to monitor their progress, anticipate health issues and act quickly to address them," Williams added. "This approach will build deeper, more meaningful relationships between doctors and their patients that lead to better health outcomes and lower health care costs.”

As the use of virtual care grows, there is significant demand for chronic care management offerings, MDLive has found. Among the patients who used its platforms for a wellness visit, 68% were identified as having a chronic condition.

The use of virtual primary care at MDLive overall is up 300% compared to last year.

“This is the next evolution in MDLIVE’s virtual primary care program as we continue to build services that support the health needs of more patients throughout their health journey,” said Jon Salon, president of MDLive, in the release. “Together, Evernorth and MDLIVE are innovating care delivery to create seamless connected experiences to make care easier to access and to improve the health of our patients—however, wherever and whenever they want to receive care.”