HealthTap joins LillyDirect to expand access to primary care-led diabetes care
HealthTap is now an independent care provider on Lilly's digital health platform LillyDirect, the company announced Wednesday. The company will offer primary care-focused diabetes care and is the first company on LillyDirect to offer primary care telemedicine.
LillyDirect is a digital healthcare solution that supports people living with obesity, migraines and diabetes. It helps people find healthcare providers and provides access to LillyDirect Pharmacy Solutions, a digital pharmacy that sells certain Lilly drugs, such as GLP-1 Zepbound or insulin treatment Basaglar.
Now, with HealthTap, patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes can connect with primary care clinicians virtually through the LillyDirect platform. The physician provides continuum of care, addressing multiple comorbidities and preventive needs. Clinicians can also provide medication management support and laboratory review. Additionally, patients can message their doctors between visits.
While patients can access HealthTap through the LillyDirect platform, HealthTap providers are not informed whether patients come through LillyDirect or directly through HealthTap. The primary care provider then bills the patient or their insurance company for the care. The company accepts commercial insurance, Medicare Advantage plans and some Medicaid plans.
Sean Mehra, CEO and co-founder of HealthTap, said the collaboration “marks a shift in the way pharmaceutical companies and primary care practices work responsibly to improve chronic disease management.”
“Recently, many pharma-related consumer platforms have directed patients to tailored, single-condition providers,” he said in an email. “In contrast, Eli Lilly's inclusion in HealthTap, a relationship-based longitudinal primary care practice, recognizes that true diabetes care requires comprehensive, ongoing physician engagement with the whole patient, including other comorbidities, risk factors and social determinants.”
He added that there is no financial transaction between LillyDirect and HealthTap in this partnership. Instead, it's intended to make it easier for those who visit LillyDirect to connect with a primary care physician when needed. Approximately 83 million Americans live in areas without adequate access to primary care clinicians. Additionally, more than 38 million Americans struggle with diabetes.
“Our shared goal is to provide comprehensive, ongoing primary care to more people with diabetes (as well as other diseases and prevention goals), especially those who may rely on decentralized or transactional care models,” Mehra said. “For Eli Lilly, this means ensuring patients can easily find doctors who support safe, ongoing care. For HealthTap, it advances our mission to provide every American with a primary care physician within reach, enabling millions of people to build lasting doctor-patient relationships that improve outcomes and reduce long-term costs.”
Other companies offering virtual primary care include Teladoc, MD Live and Carbon Health.
Photo: metamorworks, Getty Images
