GreatCall teams with insurer to offer in-home sensors to track movement of high-risk seniors

San Diego Union-Tribune (CA)

Oct. 16--San Diego-based GreatCall, acquired by Best Buy two months ago, said Tuesday that it has inked a five-year agreement with a Massachusetts health insurer to provide in-home health monitoring for high-risk seniors.

For those eligible, GreatCall will supply its Lively Home product -- 10 sensors installed throughout the home to monitor movement, eating, sleeping and other daily activities.

Using predictive analytics, Lively Home aims to pinpoint early signs of changes in health.

"We analyze that data looking for patterns, and when we see an indication there might be something going on, we make a wellness call" to the senior, said Bryan Adams, chief commercial officer for GreatCall. "If that wellness call indicates there is something going on, we will get in touch with the health plan so they can get the senior the care that he or she might need."

Seniors in the program also will receive GreatCall's Lively Mobility One-Touch emergency response device. There is no charge for those who participate.

The pilot project is being launched with Senior Whole Health of Massachusetts, a Magellan Health Co. that manages dual Medicare and Medicaid health plans for seniors in the state.

While GreatCall's agreement with Senior Whole Health was in the works well before the Best Buy buyout, having the sale go through "didn't hurt," said Adams.

GreatCall had a partnership with Best Buy's Geek Squad to install its Lively Home sensors before the $800 million buyout in August.

For Best Buy, buying GreatCall furthers its strategy of expanding into health services and technology targeting seniors to help offset pressure on sales growth and profit margins in electronics.

With 900,000 subscribers, GreatCall sells the Jitterbug mobile phone, which has big buttons for easier dialing. It also supplies a wireless plan tailored toward seniors, as well services such as fall detection and on-demand access to health information.

Two years ago, GreatCall acquired Healthsense to break into the home monitoring market, which it branded as Lively Home.

The company is hoping that more than 1,000 seniors will enroll in the pilot sensor project with Senior Whole Health of Massachusetts.

"The senior population is rapidly growing, as does their desire to age in place," said Scott Latimer, chief medical officer of Senior Whole Health. "This program helps us manage care, deliver services and reduce unnecessary hospitalizations."

Adams said the goal is to achieve similar results to a 2016 peer-reviewed study conducted with insurer Fallon Health using the Lively Home technology.

That study found that passive monitoring reduced monthly medical costs by $687 per plan member compared with a control group -- with the biggest savings coming from fewer hospital stays, fewer emergency room visits and lower long-term care expenses.

"Health insurance plans want to see proof, and proof takes time," said Adams. "Ultimately, the amount that the country pays for health care has got to come down, and I think this technology is applicable and can lead to better experiences. The senior has a better experience and the health plan is able to serve them more effectively."

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