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2023

ZealCare Announces International Partnership with NexJ Health

Post author By Ben Osborne
Post date November 30, 2023
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NexJ Health & ZealCare to Deliver Next Generation Behavior Change Solutions for Disease Management and Health Enhancement

Partnership comes at a time when the shift to value-based care is driving demand for cost-efficient outcomes and unique digital therapeutic solutions.

Durham and Toronto (November 30, 2023) — NexJ Health Inc., a Toronto-based provider of digital solutions for chronic condition management and mental well-being, and ZealCare Inc., a North Carolina-based company focused on empowering individuals with complex chronic illnesses to improve their health and decrease costs, today announced a go-to-market partnership that provides a comprehensive delivery platform providing personalized coaching to encourage the critical behavior changes that drive optimal outcomes. The platform offers the flexibility to address a range of outcomes from disease prevention to complex care, including mental health.

ZealCare’s personalized health coaching program is built on decades of validated best practices developed at Duke Health. Their model pioneered by the ‘father of personalized medicine’, Dr. Ralph Snyderman, uses health coaches, peer support, and a personalized health plan to empower individuals living with multiple chronic diseases to modify their behaviors, which drives both the desired clinical outcomes and reduces costs. Dr. Ralph Snyderman, Founder and Board Chair of ZealCare notes that “this approach creates a new paradigm for healthcare management, effectively dosing the level of engagement and intensity needed to support patients along the entire clinical spectrum to achieve optimal outcomes in a cost-effective manner.”

NexJ Health has been a leader in evidence-based outcomes for population health management since the launch of its innovative, scalable, digital health and analytics platform, NexJ Connected Wellness. The platform supports individuals in the prevention and management of a wide spectrum of chronic conditions including mental health, having adopted a polychronic approach to health coaching that is person-centered. “Our companies share a foundation deeply rooted in clinical evidence with strikingly similar principles to support individuals in achieving critical behavior change with the help of a health coach,” said ZealCare CEO Maureen O’Connor. “This partnership is a natural evolution that allows us to leverage NexJ’s powerful analytics to further personalize our state-of-the-art coaching capabilities with a focus on driving better health outcomes at a significantly lower cost for those with polychronic conditions.”

Bill Tatham, Founder and Executive Chairman at NexJ Health, said NexJ Health’s technology is critical for delivering this level of care at scale. “NexJ Health’s AI-enabled technology platform was purpose-built to enable therapeutic alliance between a coach and multiple participants at a ratio that far exceeds industry standards.”

This partnership comes at a time when the shift to value-based care is driving demand for cost-efficient outcomes and unique digital therapeutic solutions. Together, the companies can bring to market evidence-based programs to support the complete spectrum of chronic diseases, including mental health.

ABOUT NEXJ HEALTH INC.

NexJ Health Inc. is a provider of patient-facing population health management solutions that deliver patient engagement for chronic disease prevention and management. At NexJ Health, we believe that the most efficient and cost-effective way to offset the rise in chronic disease is to empower patients, with the support of their families, friends, and healthcare professionals, to actively participate in managing their chronic condition(s). By engaging patients through NexJ Connected Wellness, we help to achieve healthcare’s quintuple aim: improve the patient experience, improve population health, lower the per capita cost of care, increase provider satisfaction, and deliver business efficiency. For more information about NexJ Health visit www.nexjhealth.com, email info@nexjhealth.com, or call 416-227-3700.

ABOUT ZEALCARE

ZealCare Inc., based in Durham, North Carolina, founded by Drs. Ralph Snyderman and Connor Drake, and led by Maureen O’Connor, is a personalized chronic condition management and behavior change solution that is delivered virtually. Developed and validated at Duke Health’s Center for Personalized Health Care, ZealCare was spun out as an independent company in 2020. ZealCare’s human-centered, relationship-based approach provides a proactive and personalized experience that fosters social support and accountability to attain behaviors that achieve the best sustainable health outcomes. ZealCare empowers people to achieve their health and well-being goals by helping them adapt the behaviors needed to lead the life they desire. ZealCare delivers a truly unique and personalized community experience that is fun and engaging while reducing health costs, improving clinical outcomes, and enhancing quality of life. For more information about ZealCare visit www.zealcare.com, or email Cassie Wallace, Chief Operating Officer at cassie@zealcare.com.

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2022

Complex Chronic Disease Startup ZealCare Launched: Announcing New Board Members

Post author By zealcareinc
Post date February 4, 2022

The personalized, integrative chronic disease management company has recruited industry innovators Maureen O’Connor, Steve Nelson, Marcus Osborne, and Christopher O’Connor, MD

Research Triangle Park, NC – ZealCare today announced its emergence from stealth and the recruitment of a top-tier board. The startup offers a personalized, integrative approach to chronic disease care with an initial suite of products targeted at poorly controlled type 2 diabetes and stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease.

ZealCare was spun out of Duke University in late 2020 where former Duke University Health System CEO and ZealCare Co-Founder Ralph Snyderman, MD built and perfected the model. His team and Co-Founder Connor Drake, PhD researched, validated, and published the evidence showing the benefits of the approach. “The last mile for improving health and reducing costs is the individual’s behavior changes needed for treatment plans to be effective. ZealCare has developed an approach to achieve this goal,” says Dr. Snyderman.

Snyderman recruited Maureen O’Connor as the startup’s CEO. Ms. O’Connor is a health care entrepreneur and former Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) executive. She says, “ZealCare is redefining chronic disease management with a focus on the individual’s experience, active engagement, and empowerment. Our human-centric, tech-enabled model supports individuals in making the behavior changes necessary to improve their lives and achieve better health outcomes while lowering cost in the system.”

Together, Snyderman and O’Connor have recruited health care powerhouses to the board, including:

• Steve Nelson, startup investor and former BCBSNC chairman,

• Marcus Osborne, former Walmart Health senior vice president, and

• Christopher O’Connor, MD, Inova Heart and Vascular Institute president

“I was thrilled to sign on with ZealCare because I believe it has created a truly unique and innovative approach for solving a real and pressing problem in health care. The company is creating delightful, scalable consumer experiences using high-touch patient engagements, coupled with best of breed technology. We are in the golden era for digital health, however, to be most effective, it needs to be linked to consumer engagement.” says Nelson.

Osborne adds, “I’m excited to join ZealCare and support the company’s journey as a leader in the chronic disease space. COVID-19 has exposed gaps in the system and accelerated innovations around value-based models and digital solutions. I think the team is obsessed with the right problem and has created a pragmatic solution.”

Dr. O’Connor also affirms, “It is refreshing to see a startup built from a validated model that stems from work I was involved in earlier in my career. As a physician-leader of a large clinical delivery system, I look to improve patient outcomes with effective approaches based on sound research and clinical principles. ZealCare is poised to provide health care systems with solutions they desperately need.”

ZealCare is partnering with risk-bearing provider organizations and intends to expand its customer base to payers and self-funded employers. Dr. Snyderman and Ms. O’Connor said, “We’re in a strong position for growth. We believe our board’s deep industry experience will be a tremendous asset in accelerating our expansion and furthering our mission.”

To learn more about the team at ZealCare, please visit link.