Laguna Health Launches App-Based Digital Care For Post-Hospital Recovery

• With two-thirds of hospital patients discharged to self-care at home, new offering brings personalized, high-touch, digital-first care to chronically underserved and abandoned patient segment
• Availability of digital-first recovery experience builds on preliminary NorthShore University HealthSystem clinical trial, which is seeing an 80% reduction in readmissions with engaged patients
• Clinical trial and app launch are major steps forward in decreasing the crushing burden placed on patients in transition and skyrocketing hospital readmissions costs for employers, payers and providers

Denver, CO /PRNewswire/ - Laguna Health, a digital-first recovery assurance company, today launched its fully app-based digital care experience for post-hospital recovery journeys. Currently in clinical trial with NorthShore University HealthSystem, Laguna Health marries a proven clinical treatment model with a digital-first care team, personalized recovery plans, coaching, data-driven interventions and expansive behavioral health resources, all delivered in a friendly and accessible app-based environment.

Available now for patients at sponsoring health systems and members of participating health insurance plans, Laguna Health aims to radically improve care experiences and care outcomes for patients who have moved through a hospital stay and have been discharged home to self-care. In this chronically underserved leg of the care journey, vulnerable patients are often sent home with static, paper-based discharge instruction packets. Regardless of whether a patient has had a knee operation or surgery on a vital organ, no patient returns home eager and ready to analyze several pages of information.

The sad reality is that the U.S. healthcare system expects most patients to return home without professional support, enduring post-surgical pain, mental fog, hampered mobility, medication side-effects and emotional trauma — including anxiety about their ability to maintain income and livelihood. In part due to a lack of support, more than a third of home-discharged patients transition to higher cost settings over the course of a year. Yet research shows that at least half of all readmissions are preventable.

"It's not uncommon for patients to be so mentally and emotionally consumed with preparing for or enduring a hospital stay, that they are underprepared for at-home recovery," said Dr. Mark Lampert, Deputy Head, Division of Cardiology at NorthShore University HealthSystem. "Equally as true is that our healthcare system puts the lion's share of post-hospital recovery responsibility on the patient. Our clinical study with Laguna is showing that personalized, data-driven, digital-first care is having a material impact on patient outcomes."

In phase one of a clinical trial with NorthShore University HealthSystem, Laguna is seeing remarkably promising early results. To date, patients engaged with Laguna in their post-hospital care journeys have seen an 80% reduction in readmissions when compared to a control group of patients.

Among the new features Laguna Health is making available within its app experience:

• On-demand care team. Laguna's professionals are focused on ensuring successful recovery in collaboration with patients' existing physicians and healthcare teams. A multi-disciplinary group, Laguna's care providers engage patients proactively and serve as on-demand resources 24/7.
• Coaching and emotional support. So often the emotional piece of recovery is more difficult than the physical. Laguna's team of coaches and behavioral health specialists meet patients where they are, identifying critical needs, setting measurable goals, introducing proven motivators and overcoming barriers.
• Personalized recovery plans. Laguna offers step-by-step planning and guidance for every patient's recovery journey, supported by coaching, education, monitoring, motivation and guidance. Recovery plans are evidence-based and informed by a rich clinical data set.
• Education. All patients have access to a curated content library relevant to their recovery journey, helping de-mystify medications, understand the healing process, identify potential recovery risks, and much more.
• Multimodal engagement. Patients can tap in-app chat functionality or schedule video-based appointments to connect with their care team.

"The status quo in post-hospital recovery in the U.S. is unacceptable. Patients deserve better. Employers, payers and health plans shouldering a portion of the costs deserve better. Laguna Health is making better possible," said Yoni Shtein, co-founder and CEO, Laguna Health. "Our early clinical studies with leading providers like NorthShore HealthSystem are proving that digital-first care is the path forward to improving patient outcomes and driving down costs. We look forward to getting Laguna Health into the hands of more individuals as we continue to build out our clinical data set and codify post-hospital recovery."

About Laguna Health
Laguna is a recovery assurance company that leverages digital care and multi-disciplinary clinicians to reduce costly readmissions and shorten recovery time. Laguna assures successful post-hospitalization recovery by combining data, digital care tools, and proven behavioral health interventions to radically reduce negative outcomes. From employers to health plans to providers, the entire health care ecosystem now has the ability to ensure every patient recovers with confidence. To learn more about Laguna, visit www.lagunahealth.com