Externally validated methodology generates condition-specific cost savings across 15 leading cost drivers
NEW YORK, February 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Summus, the leading virtual specialty care provider, today unveiled the industry’s first proprietary methodology to quantify return on investment (ROI) for organizations using virtual specialty care services. The new methodology validated by Milliman, a leading actuarial firm, provides a reliable return on investment for medical expenses. Amid the health care access and affordability crisis, employers and health systems are seeking to align health spending with clear ROI data to support better, more cost-effective medical solutions.
Summus’ approach solves the ROI attribution problem present in trend analysis and aggregated health states by analyzing episodic condition-specific cost savings compared to the usual practice of trend-based ROI. The methodology accounts for the impact of Summus’ virtual specialty care solution, which avoids costly in-person visits, altered treatment pathways, and avoided surgeries for medical conditions that drive specialty care costs.
Impact was determined using control and treatment cohorts created from patient-matched populations with geolocalized costs. Total medical cost savings are calculated using data from consultations and surveys of members and physicians, as well as a third-party claims database for more than 340 million commercial group, Medicare and Medicaid patients. Patient journey data is constantly updated, providing accurate, dynamic ROI, medical cost savings.
“In 2023 and beyond, both employers and health systems are increasingly focused on the financial return and impact on health outcomes that virtual health solutions offer. Reliable data-driven models are a critical foundation,” said Mary Mulcair, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Summus. “We offer employers and health systems the first ROI methodology that provides virtual calculations of specialty care savings using large data sets and accurate analytics. Understanding the financial impact of medical care and providing a new approach to access specialists around the world will help us tackle the cost and complexity of specialist care.”
The Summus ROI methodology has been reviewed and validated by Milliman, a world-renowned actuarial firm that is an expert in the study of health and financial well-being.
Milliman found that the methodology was consistent with actuarial practices for estimating the net financial impact of a program of this nature. Summus’ approach to calculating expected savings is consistent with the business model, services provided, and program features that drive savings; support the approach, the data used and the assumptions made.
By focusing on the cost drivers and complexities of healthcare and accelerating access to the nation’s best medical advice, Summus is able to achieve medical cost savings across the spectrum of health diagnoses and conditions. Summus’ curated physician network of 5,100+ leading specialists empowers members and their families to make informed health decisions that are right for them and lead to better, cost-effective outcomes for all health and travel issues.
For more information on Summus’ ROI methodology, which captures the costs and leverages the complexity of specialty care, visit: https://gosummus.info/ROI.
For the Supreme
Summus is the leading virtual specialty care company founded with a mission to restore the human connection in healthcare. Our proprietary market model attracts leading professionals who support better insights and decision-making on all health matters. With a curated network of more than 5,100 renowned specialists from top academic medical centers and more than 2.1 million members worldwide, Summus serves as the clinical gateway to access trusted, high-quality healthcare expertise and to support people in the moments when the most important. Find out more: www.summusglobal.com.
SOURCE Global High