Digital Health Company Ayble Health, Mayo Clinic Team Up On IBS, IBD

Boston-based Ayble Health, a digital health platform focusing on chronic digestive health disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), recently announced a collaboration with the Mayo Clinic Complex Care Program to offer patients a hybrid care model that matches them with virtual and in-person providers based on their needs and the acuity of their condition.

Up to 70 million Americans are affected by gastrointestinal conditions such as IBS and IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These patients make up 25% of the commercially insured population and are burdened with chronic symptoms, such as abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and fatigue, which significantly contribute to work absenteeism and reduced productivity. As a whole, gastrointestinal diseases generate over $140 million in healthcare costs per year.

In an interview with Managed Health Executive, Sam Jactel, MBA, founder and CEO of Ayble Health, described how Ayble’s collaboration with Mayo Clinic can potentially provide individualized care for patients in a field where a “one-size-fits-all” model does not necessarily meet the needs of high acuity patients. A less-than tailored approach may not be cost effective for those with less severe disease.

Jactel explained that Ayble Health provides personalized nutrition and psychology services, and higher-risk patients can have expedited scheduling with Mayo Clinic multidisciplinary experts via digital or in-person visits. Individuals who need in-person care at Mayo Clinic will have access to a travel and lodging benefit sponsored by an employer or health plan.

Patients will access Ayble Health through an employer-sponsored health plan. If symptoms escalate in severity, the Mayo Clinic Complex Care Program steps in and, in collaboration with Ayble Health, may change treatment plans and often offer alternatives to gastrointestinal surgery, explained Jactel.

When used alone, the Ayble Health platform was found to improve symptoms in 81% of patients with IBS or IBS and IBD who participated in a pilot study.

Currently, the Ayble Health hybrid care model is only available through certain large, employer-sponsored health plans. Jactel said the company plans to expand access through other payers, including Medicare and Medicaid, and collaborations with more providers, including private gastrointestinal groups and rural health systems.

A goal is to reach as many people as possible who may not have ready access to appropriate gastrointestinal health services, Jactel told MHE.