Introducing Crossover’s Connected System of Health

The primary driver of my choice to live in Southern California has always been the ocean. Surfing is a great part of the local culture in San Clemente, and it has certainly influenced our company culture as well. The magic of surfing isn’t so much in riding waves, but rather being part of the rhythm of the ocean. Learning how the tides work, studying the patterns of various swells, and understanding how far away storms can impact local conditions are all part of the seen and unseen oceanic rhythm. It’s so much more about observation and contemplation than just carving and stoke. 

Entrepreneurship is much the same way. It also has a natural rhythm; it’s about understanding where the world is moving and being just out ahead of it. I believe we are at that point with healthcare. 

That’s why today at HLTH, Crossover officially unveiled a foundational shift in our business model, the scope and reach of our care delivery, and the value we create for  employer clients and their employee members. Our Connected System of Health defines us as a tech-enabled, digital-first, national medical group for self-insured employers, health systems, and insurance payers. We use the tools and technology integral to life in the 21st century to connect patients with the care they need — when they need it wherever they are located — within the context of their custom benefit offerings. 

Crossover was founded on the principle that healthcare needed to be done differently — that using modern technology to empower patient members to take control of their own health, unconstrained by payment and delivery models, was absolutely required to achieve new models of health. We have been successful in helping some of the most innovative companies in the country reimagine the possibilities for primary care one Crossover Health center at a time. 

And now, just a decade later, Crossover has helped nearly a quarter of a million people experience healthcare as it should be  — a patient-centered approach driven by a dedicated, interdisciplinary care team freed from the limitations of the fee-for-service model. And we’ve made a tremendous impact:

• Average 30 percent total healthcare savings (including our costs) for our employer partners;

• The same or better outcomes in Physical Medicine and Behavioral Health (as demonstrated by peer reviewed measurement standards) in half the visits;
  
• 50 percent less utilization of urgent care; 30 percent less use of emergency services;
  
• 50 percent less referrals to high-cost specialists with referral completion rates > 80 percent;
  
• 20 percent average savings in prescription spend and one tenth the rate of opioid prescriptions.

Despite these successes with our own employer clients, so much more remains to be done. In fact, a recent study found that the average total cost of employer  sponsored health coverage for a family passed $20,000 this year. 

We know employers remain challenged to meet the needs of employees throughout the country in an integrated, coordinated way remains a challenge. We also know people are living and working much differently than they were even ten years ago, and having flexible access to healthcare (online, on-demand, and on the move) is quickly becoming a business and retention imperative.

That’s why we created the Connected System of Health. 

Imagine you have a significant health concern that needs to be addressed. Instead of calling a primary care doctor to make an appointment or going to an urgent care center that doesn’t know you and may be out of network, you can quickly open an app to contact your personal health team. They already have your information (you signed up as part of new employee orientation); the care team can review your annual health goals and prior visit history; and the same care team you were originally introduced to remains available to address your needs online, in person, anytime. 

Your care issue is reviewed using HIPAA-compliant, everyday communications channels like asynchronous messaging, real-time video, or occasionally, a phone call. If need be, your doctor can coordinate a prescription order or a lab test to be performed at one of our physical health centers, or a curated pharmacy/lab center in your community — with complete price transparency, fully aware of your benefits and fully in tune with your needs. Even better, this same level of service can be provided for more than 2,500 primary care issues virtually before we recommend coming in for an office visit. If needed, you are guided to a high quality specialist with our Care Navigators who help to curate our specialist network. And, you remain in touch with you care team throughout the entire Episode of Care.

This is a fundamentally different approach than how healthcare is delivered today. By seamlessly combining virtual care with onsite and nearsite health centers, the Connected System of Health can connect every employee – in headquarters or in remote locations – to the highest quality care while simultaneously, helping employers get control of their healthcare spending. This isn’t a new value proposition, it’s a new type of partnership between payers (employers), patients (employees), and providers (Crossover Health).

What seemed like a far off future 10 years ago, is now fast becoming a reality. With some of the countries largest, most forward-thinking companies investing in the Connected System of Health, Crossover its creating a swell of interest in a totally different type of healthcare future for potentially millions of Americans. And, that’s a rhythm I am truly stoked about riding – all the way in!