Christine Myron
November 29, 2023
New partnership will offer enhanced St. Luke’s On-Demand Virtual Care visits; increase access to health care
BOISE, ID – When you or a loved one suddenly becomes sick, or taking time away from work for a doctor’s appointment is challenging, you need health care that’s accessible and easy.
A new partnership between St. Luke’s and TytoCare will soon put valuable tools in the hands of patients that will allow for high-quality virtual care visits with St. Luke’s providers from the comfort of home.
From a virtual ear exam to a throat exam, the TytoHome device kits will give St. Luke’s On-Demand Virtual Care providers additional information and data about a patient to help make a diagnosis or treatment plan.
The home kits will be offered to St. Luke’s Health Plan members and St. Luke’s employees starting in early 2024.
“St. Luke’s Health Plan was established on the foundation of removing barriers to care and this new partnership with TytoCare is a major step forward in realizing that goal,” said Matt Wolff, President of St. Luke’s Health Plan. “Not only will members be able to receive excellent care from the comfort of home, with St. Luke’s Health Plan, the On-Demand Virtual Visit is fully covered with a $0 copay.”
TytoCare’s Home Smart Clinic is the only virtual care solution on the market that can replicate the doctor’s office in the home, enabling more complete care for patients.
"The Home Smart Clinic was designed to bring the clinical quality of the doctor’s office to families, whenever and wherever they need it. This is especially important in rural areas and underserved communities to ensure that travel to a distant clinic or a shortage of local providers is not a barrier to care," said Dedi Gilad, CEO and Co-Founder of TytoCare. "We are proud to work with St. Luke’s to bring this enhanced virtual primary care to Idaho.”
The Home Smart Clinic is FDA-cleared to perform heart, lung (including AI-powered wheeze detection), throat, ear and body temperature exams. A recent study published by the Journal of Health Economics’ July 2023 edition found that TytoCare’s Home Smart Clinic reduced the cost of care by 7%. The study also found that the home-based tools reduced emergency department visits by 24.1%, urgent care visits by 11.3% and increased primary care utilization by 12%.
“With this new partnership, St. Luke’s and TytoCare can deliver care differently across the regions we serve,” said Mary Cronin, St. Luke’s Vice President of Consumer Access and Experience. “The TytoCare technology combined with our On-Demand Virtual Care team gives us the opportunity to offer health care in a more convenient setting that more easily fits within people’s busy lives.”