UnitedHealthcare has formed a national partnership with Aeroflow Health to provide virtual nutrition services to members, the companies announced last week.
Founded in 2001, Asheville, North Carolina-based Aeroflow Health offers a range of insurance-covered medical devices. The company has four product lines: Aeroflow Breast Pump, Aeroflow Diabetes, Aeroflow Sleep and Aeroflow Urology. In addition to medical equipment, it also provides education and consulting. The company partners with more than 1,000 insurance plans.
Through a partnership with UnitedHealthcare, commercial and Medicare patients will have access to Aeroflow's medical nutrition therapy programs. They will receive support from a nutritionist and virtual consultation services covering a range of topics including nutritional history, sleep patterns, weight fluctuations, stress, hydration and exercise. Aeroflow said the partnership will support members who “would benefit most from dietary guidance”, such as those dealing with chronic conditions such as diabetes.
Amanda Minimi, vice president of marketing and operations for health solutions at Aeroflow Health, said the partnership is significant because of its size. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 13.7 million people through its Medicare plans and approximately 29.7 million people through its commercial plans.
She added that research shows nutrition programs often struggle to attract patients due to barriers such as onboarding issues, long wait times, transportation, child care restrictions and low health literacy.
“For people managing diabetes or pregnancy and postpartum, fragmented benefits and uncertainty about out-of-pocket costs further inhibit participation, while depressive symptoms, food insecurity and competing daily priorities make it difficult to maintain visits and self-management,” Miniemi said in an email. “Aeroflow delivers by unifying qualifications, scheduling, [registered dietitian] Access, education, provision and outcomes are all integrated into one digital workflow. “
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nutrition is a key factor in managing and preventing chronic disease. Currently, approximately 70% of deaths in the United States each year are caused by chronic diseases. Aeroflow aims to drive this statistic by partnering with UnitedHealthcare.
“Our goals are immediate and measurable: expand timely access to RD-led care in diabetes and maternal health, increase completion rates of guideline-recommended screening and self-management tasks, and demonstrate clinically meaningful improvements over time. Because enrollment, participation, and outcomes are tracked in the same system, families can see clear next steps and health plans can see clear results,” Minimi said.
Aeroflow has several other partners with insurance companies to provide virtual nutrition support, including Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield. There are various other companies offering virtual nutrition services, including Culina Health, Season Health and NourishedRx.
Photo: vgajic, Getty Images
