98point6 buys contracts from Bright.md, launches asynchronous care module

Care-automation company Bright.md sold its technology to Evernorth last year

In March of last year, telehealth platform 98point6 revealed it was switching from being a provider of virtual care to a SaaS provider, meaning it would focus on licensing its software to third-party health care providers.

Now, the company is ready to expand its services, announcing on Tuesday the acquisition of 16 customer contracts from care-automation company Bright.md, as well as the launch of a new asynchronous care module.

Bright.md, which was founded in 2014, offered an AI-powered platform called SmartExam, which acted as a virtual physician assistant, enabling the physician to deliver efficient care remotely in a fraction of the time by asking patients questions about their symptoms and health history.

This past October, the company sold its technology to Evernorth, and now 98point6 has purchased its remaining assets. No financial terms of the deal were disclosed. 

"With these acquisitions, we’re not only expanding our reach and strengthening relationships with existing health systems, we’re also gaining valuable insights into the diverse needs of healthcare organizations so that we can continue to effectively tailor our products for patients and providers' evolving preferences," Jay Burrell, CEO of 98point6 Technologies, told VatorNews.

The launch of the new asynchronous care module, which is backed by machine learning and AI, will allow 98point6 to service these new clients.

The module allows providers to respond to patients when their schedule allows. The platform deploys an intelligent engine that supports providers with intake, diagnosis, and care documentation. When combined with the existing live solution, providers will have flexibility to support multiple modes of on-demand virtual care based on patients' lifestyle and care experience preferences.

The timing of the two announcements was "serendipitous," Burrell said, noting that, "the timing of Bright.md’s divestiture offered an outstanding opportunity for 98point6 to accelerate its launch of an asynchronous telehealthcare solution."

"98point6 has always been focused on provider enablement and making the provider’s job easier. That positioning remains consistent today: we’re a technology company for healthcare providers. One of our strategies in becoming a SaaS company was focusing on the platform layer, and rolling out new features and functions, starting with the asynchronous module," he explained.

Going forward, 98point6 will focus on offering a full suite of virtual care services that empower providers with technology-focused solutions that help mitigate clinician burnout, improve patient engagement, and provide substantial cost savings to healthcare organizations.  

"We will continue to refine and expand our product offerings based upon feedback from Bright.md’s customers to create innovative technology solutions that solve care delivery organizations’ biggest challenges and improve the patient and provider experience," said Burrell.

"98point6 has a proven track record of building software to manage virtual care, and a history of managing a successful nationwide virtual clinic serving millions of patients. The new async care module paves the way for further innovations on the 98point6 Technology Platform."