Adventist Health, a nonprofit integrated multi-state health system servicing over 10 million people in more than 80 communities on the West Coast and Hawaii, has announced a strategic partnership with Synchronous Health to co-develop behavioral health and well-being solutions to address the biggest drivers of health costs and community needs. The partnership includes an investment, Adventist Health said in a news release. Further financial terms were not immediately available.
Through this partnership, Synchronous Health and Adventist Health will co-develop behavioral health and well-being solutions to address the biggest drivers of health costs and community needs. Synchronous Health’s technology and clinical models have already been tapped by Adventist Health to address the needs of two critical populations during the COVID-19 pandemic: caregiver burnout and resiliency among the health system’s 37,000 associates, and depression and isolation among more than 2 million older adults in communities served by Adventist Health. Adventist Health is not only fortifying the well-being of its team and community by providing the custom-designed Synchronous platform, but also investing in the dynamically growing company as part of the partnership.
The partnership currently provides Adventist Health’s caregivers trauma resilience assistance through virtual visits with highly trained behavioral health specialists. Together with their specialist, Adventist Health caregivers design their personalized support plan through Karla®, which uses predictive analytics and AI to deliver interventions in the moment they are needed – rather than waiting for the next scheduled appointment. The program, which launched in April 2020, took only 10 days to implement, demonstrating how flexible the platform is in configuring solutions to meet the specific needs of the population and any individual in it.
Adventist in April launched the first program, which aims to reduce burnout and boost resiliency among the health system’s 37,000 associates during the pandemic. Using Synchronous’ AI-powered platform Karla, Adventist’s caregivers have access to trauma resilience assistance through virtual visits with behavioral health specialists.
Additionally, the two organizations co-developed and launched a program last month to improve the well-being of older adults who are more isolated now due to COVID-19 and at higher risk for anxiety and depression. The pilot program incorporates both a physical and mental health assessment and facilitates access to community resources, a connection to peers and telehealth services with Karla® support. This is one example of how this partnership will demonstrate the tremendous savings in total cost of care when behavioral health is addressed.
What is Synchronous Health?
Synchronous Health is a behavioral health company leveraging AI and digital health technologies (telehealth) to increase access and quality of behavioral health services. In an interview with the Nashville Health Care Council, Synchronous’ Chief Operating Officer Lisa Henderson summarizes the company as an organization that can leverage technology to scale human services in behavioral health. The idea is to provide interventions right in the moment the patients, or participants, need them based on their individual data and the interventions they respond to.
Synchronous Health offers a unique combination of person-to-person telehealth sessions through a national network of licensed counselors paired with its proprietary AI platform, Karla®, a bot that delivers precision coaching support between sessions. The Karla platform is customized per individual to include proactive and reactive coaching through messages and alerts, as well as direct access to a behavioral health specialist when indicated. This comprehensive approach can be both scaled to serve large populations and tailored to individual preferences and conditions in a timely way.
Adventist Health Plus Karla
Adventist Health Plus Karla was born out of a vision that recognizes that older adults want to stay healthy – mentally, physically, socially and spiritually as they age, however, only 17% of adults consider themselves in a state of optimal health. In the face of the Coronavirus crisis, Adventist Health Plus Karla is very timely because it focuses on the interconnectedness of our physical, mental, social and spiritual health and the importance of well-being – all delivered from the safety and convenience of your home.
Adventist Health Plus Karla leverages technology, the science of behavior and key insights about adults to give members personalized, actionable tools to monitor their physical, mental, social and spiritual health and provide coordinated access to solutions to manage it.
This partnership directly reflects the market’s need for our vision and solution of an entirely new model for delivering behavioral health and well-being services. By combining the benefits of human connection and technology, Synchronous can scale to serve more populations with broader reach, greater impact, and sustained improvements.
Guy Barnard, CEO of Synchronous Health
A person living with Depression might experience the symptoms for any one or a combination of those factors. Biologically, the brain does not produce enough Serotonin. Psychologically, the person might experience low self-esteem or trauma. Socially, the person might encounter a sudden, unexpected challenge, anything from infertility to a job loss to the death of a loved one. We also know that with medical conditions people do not seek preventive care as often as would be impactful on the whole healthcare systems. The same is even truer when it comes to behavioral health conditions.
Adventist Health shares our passion for creating better ways to care for the whole person. With our platform and Adventist Health’s expert clinical assets and deep-rooted community presence, we are delivering individualized, precision care to millions of people. We started Synchronous Health to extend care beyond the appointment – our goal is to help everyone, everywhere have more good days.
Lisa Henderson, Chief Operating Officer of Synchronous Health
Additional Resources for AI in Behavioral Health
Podcast: Recovery Unscripted – Episode 86: Pairing Artificial Intelligence with Human Compassion — Guest: Lisa Henderson | January 30, 2019
The Medical Futurist – Artificial Intelligence In Mental Health Care | June 25, 2019
Time Magazine – Artificial Intelligence Could Help Solve America’s Impending Mental Health Crisis | November 20, 2019
PubMed.gov – Artificial Intelligence for Mental Health and Mental Illnesses: an Overview | November 7, 2019
About Adventist Health
Adventist Health is a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 80 communities on the West Coast and Hawaii. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides care in hospitals, clinics, home care agencies, hospice agencies and joint-venture retirement centers in both rural and urban communities. Our compassionate and talented team of 37,000 includes associates, medical staff physicians, allied health professionals and volunteers driven in pursuit of one mission: living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope. Together, we are transforming the American healthcare experience with an innovative, yet timeless, whole-person focus on physical, mental, spiritual and social healing.
About Synchronous Health
Synchronous Health is reinventing population behavioral health, working primarily with large employers, health systems, payors, and universities. Through a national network of credentialed mental health counselors, combined with an advanced technology and artificial intelligence platform called Karla®, the company works to improve mental health and well-being among its participants and communities. Through Karla®, the platform brings together seemingly unrelated or inconsequential data to provide real-time and predictive insights to guide human services and deliver digital support when and where it is needed. The delivery model is anytime, anywhere. Learn more about the company here: https://sync.health/ or for partnership inquiries, please email Lisa Henderson at Lisa.Henderson@sync.health.
