Hygieia Receives Investment from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to Conduct Demonstration Project of the d-Nav® Insulin Guidance Service

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hygieia, a digital insulin enhancement company dedicated to making insulin therapy easier for everyone involved, announced today that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will launch a 1,000-patient demonstration project of Hygieia's d-Nav^® insulin guidance service. Blue Cross will make a direct investment in Hygieia to support the full cost of the one-year demonstration.

"Providing effective care for individuals with type 2 diabetes, particularly those on insulin therapy, is an enormous challenge for the modern health system," said Dave Conn, Hygieia president. "We are thrilled to be working with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to demonstrate how the d-Nav service can be implemented to enhance primary care, dramatically improve patient outcomes, and substantially reduce costs."

The Hygieia d-Nav insulin guidance service combines smart cloud-based technology and a small team of healthcare professionals that provides valuable support to primary care physicians and helps people with diabetes achieve improved health. d-Nav provides personalized adjustments to enhance and simplify insulin dosing, maximizing its effectiveness for patients and the physicians who prescribe it.

Hygieia has created an economic impact model which suggests that broad implementation of the d-Nav service across Michigan could save more than $100 million dollars annually in the state if optimally used by all people with type 2 diabetes. Blue Cross Vice President of Wellness and Care Management Ann Baker will lead the implementation for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, as part of the organization's ongoing efforts to identify innovative new programs that will improve members' care and service.

"We evaluated data from the use of d-Nav in the United Kingdom and are excited to explore d-Nav's potential to both improve care and reduce costs for our members in Michigan with type 2 diabetes," said Baker. "We are the first health plan in the United States to evaluate d-Nav as part of our mission to provide innovative solutions for our members with chronic conditions."

The Blue Cross project, set to begin in Q2 2016, will evaluate the cost savings associated with the d-Nav service as compared to the standard of care. Specifically, an independent health-economics research organization will assess whether patients referred to the d-Nav service had similar or better outcomes – at a lower cost – as compared to patients receiving standard of care.

"We are honored that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a large, well-respected U.S. health plan, has committed to make a direct investment in Hygieia to facilitate this very substantial demonstration project," said Eran Bashan, Hygieia CEO and co-founder. "This is a fairly unique approach that demonstrates both the power of the clinical and economic data we've amassed to date, as well as the dramatic need for new technologies and clinical pathways that improve care for people with type 2 diabetes who use insulin."

A similar one-year demonstration project conducted by The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT), part of the UK's National Health Service, showed that patients using the d-Nav service experienced a significant drop in average blood glucose (known as HbA1c) and a substantial reduction in diabetes care costs within 12 months. In 2015, SEHSCT became the first health system in the world to adopt the d-Nav service as a new standard of care for patients with type 2 diabetes using insulin.  

About Hygieia

Hygieia is a digital insulin enhancement company dedicated to making insulin therapy easier for everyone involved. The company is based in Ann Arbor, Mich. and has a wholly owned subsidiary in Northern Ireland. More information is available at www.hygieia.com

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.5 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies who reside outside the state. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com and MIBluesPerspectives.com.

Media Contact:

Michele Parisi
925-429-1850 (office)
925-864-5028 (cell)
[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160331/349852LOGO

SOURCE Hygieia

Related Links

http://www.hygieia.com