Penn Medicine Receives Grants to Further Virtual Care Innovation
Three Penn Medicine projects, including one that aims to improve access to buprenorphine through telehealth, received $200,000 each from Independence Blue Cross.
Penn Medicine projects involving virtual care, including a healing at home program and a plan to increase access to buprenorphine, have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from health insurer Independence Blue Cross.
Penn Medicine is an academic medical center that focuses on medical education, patient care, and research advancements. It includes the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the nation’s first medical school, and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
In total, three projects received up to $200,000 each in grants from Independence Blue Cross.
The first project, called Healing at Home, enables postpartum women to access an artificial intelligence-based chatbot that provides various services, including support for mental health and guidance on infant care.
Another program that received funding centers on increasing access to buprenorphine treatment for people of color with substance use disorders. Launched in May, the program began from a partnership involving Penn Medicine and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. It directs patients to a virtual clinic where they can receive buprenorphine prescriptions.
The third project that got a grant involved care for early pregnancy, including events like miscarriages.
“The funded projects this year also address areas in which some of our most vulnerable patients may see the greatest benefits,” said Elissa Klinger, director of health equity for Penn Medicine’s Center for Digital Health, in a press release. “For example, black women in Philadelphia experience higher rates of severe pregnancy related health problems, particularly in the postpartum period, so programs like Healing at Home can enhance critical postpartum support that may ultimately help drive down rates of maternal morbidity.”
Independence Blue Cross also provided Penn Medicine projects with grants in 2021. The projects that previously received grants worked to enhance remote cardiac rehabilitation, implement a messaging system to improve chemotherapy regimens, and advance image-based cancer screenings.
In addition to Independence Blue Cross, several other organizations have provided Penn Medicine with grants to support its studies that aim to improve patient treatment and outcomes.
In December 2021, the National Institute of Aging gave Penn Medicine a grant to study remote patient monitoring (RPM) use in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from Penn Medicine will examine whether RPM could allow people with Alzheimer’s to obtain accessible care while improving and managing health conditions.
In October 2021, Penn Medicine received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how certain community and household interventions can influence racial health disparities within Black communities. Racism can lead to inequalities in healthcare, leading Black people to experience medical problems. Penn Medicine researchers sought to close these care gaps through various interventions.