Clinical research associates GRITT™ resilience-based methodology with significantly reduced healthcare utilisation and opioid use in patients with IBD

LONDON and NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Trellus Health plc (AIM: TRLS), which is commercialising a scientifically validated, resilience-based, connected health solution for chronic condition management, confirms that clinical research conducted by Trellus Health co-founders Laurie Keefer, PhD, and Marla Dubinsky, MD, has associated the GRITT™ (Gaining Resilience Through Transitions) methodology with significantly lower healthcare utilisation ("HCU¹"), corticosteroid and opioid use in patients suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease ("IBD"). The clinical research was published in a recent issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

The peer-reviewed article, entitled "Resilience-based integrated IBD care is associated with reductions in health care use and opioids²," describes the impact of applying the GRITT™ methodology on resilience, HCU and opioid use in patients suffering from IBD. 394 low-resilience IBD patients were recruited from an academic IBD centre, with 184 being GRITT™ participants, and 210 not using GRITT™. GRITT^TM IBD Program participants received an average of six months of multidisciplinary care management in person and via telehealth, which included a combination of behavioural and nutritional care as well as medication counselling.

The research, conducted at the Susan and Leonard Feinstein IBD Clinical Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital by Dr. Keefer and her team, identified that use of the GRITT™, which includes the GRITT™ resilience assessment and personalised treatment methodology, resulted in a 59% increase in resilience amongst study participants, which correlated with a 71% reduction in Emergency Department visits (equivalent to A&E in the UK), and a 94% reduction in unplanned hospitalisations. The article also found that the GRITT™ Program participants showed a 49% decrease in opioid use and a 73% reduction in corticosteroid use at 12 months following the study. The article concludes that validated methods such as GRITT™ that simultaneously address mind and body targets, such as resilience evaluation and integrated care management, may improve patient outcomes and are associated with significant reductions in HCU and opioid use. This research reinforces and supplements the positive health outcomes associated with use of the GRITT^TM Methodology presented in an award-winning plenary session at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting,

Trellus Health holds the exclusive commercial license of the GRITT^TM methodology from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, part of the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, NY, for IBD and seven major chronic conditions, including heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, COPD and Cystic Fibrosis. The Company intends to scale GRITT^TM globally using its proprietary TrellusElevate^TM platform and virtual licensed multidisciplinary care teams that include specialist nurses, behavioral health specialists and registered dietitian nutritionists.

Lead author Dr. Laurie Keefer, Co-Founder of Trellus Health, explains: "Awareness of the importance of treating the whole person when it comes to chronic disease continues to grow – patients need access to professionals who can collaborate and consider their disease management goals in context with the rest of their lives. Patients living with IBD do not have to suffer. Resilience training works when offered in the setting of quality IBD medical care. When we do not separate physical and mental health, patients can take back control and improve their own outcomes, significantly reducing the need for emergency care and living their best lives. This second study further confirms this and increases the urgency for getting as many patients access to much needed psychosocial care as we can."

Monique Fayad, CEO of Trellus Health, commented, "We are pleased to see the positive conclusions of the clinical research recently published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, which augment the data presented in our co-founders' 2020 ACG presentation. We believe that our resilience-driven whole-person approach using the GRITT^TM methodology can dramatically improve outcomes for patients living with chronic conditions. This will not only lead to improvements in health and quality of life, but also drive significant expense reductions associated with costly unplanned care. This research shows the potential benefit of our integrated virtual care management offering for millions of people who suffer from IBD around the world, and for healthcare payers interested in scientifically validated value-based solutions for complex chronic conditions."

The GRITT™ resilience assessment and personalised treatment methodology described is based on technology developed by Drs. Dubinsky and Keefer and licensed to Trellus Health. Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai faculty, including Marla Dubinsky, MD, and Laurie Keefer, PhD, have a financial interest in Trellus Health. Mount Sinai has representation on the Trellus Health Board of Directors.

¹  HCU was defined by the total number of IBD related emergency department (ED) visits and non-planned, non-surgical IBD-related hospitalisations collected from the electronic medical record for the year prior to enrolment in the study and then again 12 months after enrolment.

²    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542356521012258

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About Trellus Health plc (www.trellushealth.com)
Trellus Health (LSE: TRLS) is a leading pioneer in resilience-driven care and the first digital health company focused on the intersection of chronic physical conditions and mental health. Trellus Health's digital-first chronic care management solution integrates convenient access to a licensed multidisciplinary care team with a suite of tools for resilience assessment, education and behavior modification, remote monitoring, health maintenance and prevention. Through its TrellusElevate™ connected care platform and companion App, the Company enables coordination and delivery of expert whole-person care, addressing both clinical and behavioral health together, in context, to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs for patients, employers, and the healthcare system.

Trellus Health is commercialising the provision of digital chronic condition management solutions for employers and health plans that utilise the scientifically validated resilience-based methodology and a proprietary HIPAA-compliant technology platform called TrellusElevate™ to coordinate and deliver personalised care remotely via telehealth. The Company is initially focused on Inflammatory Bowel Disease ("IBD"), which includes the chronic incurable conditions of Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis, but considers its approach to have potential utility and demand across many chronic conditions.

The TrellusElevate™ platform is the Company's proprietary connected health platform that incorporates the proprietary methodology and learnings on resilience from clinical research and practice conducted at the Mount Sinai IBD Center for more than five years. The proprietary methodology and resilience-driven multidisciplinary care model have been scientifically validated to demonstrate meaningful improvements in patient outcomes, 71% reduction in Emergency Department (A&E) visits, and 94% reduction in unplanned hospitalisations, which the directors of the Company believe indicates the potential for significant cost savings for healthcare payers.  IBD patients treated using the methodology also experienced a 49% reduction in required opioid use and a 73% reduction in corticosteroid use 12 months following program completion.

The Company was founded by Dr. Marla C. Dubinsky, MD and Dr. Laurie Keefer, PhD, both with decades of combined experience in IBD and psychogastroenterology, respectively. Trellus Health's patent-pending GRITT^TM resilience assessment and personalized treatment methodology was developed and validated at the Mount Sinai Health System to build resilience and wellness for improved outcomes at lower cost.

Shares in Trellus Health were admitted to trading on AIM in May 2021, under the ticker TRLS.  For more information on Trellus Health, visit www.trellushealth.com.

SOURCE Trellus Health Inc.