In brief: Elevance Health, Float get new backing & NCPA calls out Express Scripts 

INDIANAPOLIS – Health insurer Elevance Health and private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice have formed a strategic partnership to bring together certain care delivery and enablement assets of Elevance Health’s business unit Carelon Health and CD&R’s portfolio companies aspree health and Millenium Physician Group. 

The companies say the strategic partnership’s advanced primary care models take a whole health approach to address the physical, social and behavioral health of every person. The foundation of the new models will be stronger patient-provider relationships supported by data-driven insights, care coordination and referral management, and integrated health coaching. 

“CD&R’s collaboration with Elevance Health is an important step in our ongoing investment focus to accelerate innovation in care delivery across the country,” said Clay Richards, CD&R operating partner. “We are excited to enter into this strategic partnership with Elevance Health and for what this effort can accomplish, drawing out the strengths of each of the three companies to improve the patient and physician experience for the communities they serve.” 

The companies say the models will also leverage realigned incentives through value-based care agreements that enable care providers, assist individuals in leading healthier lives and make care more affordable. 

Details on the involved assets: 

• Carelon Health has 30 clinics that will support the strategic partnership’s ability to provide health care to high-risk members, including individuals with complex and chronic conditions;  

• apree health offers digital navigation and clinical advocacy capabilities with advanced primary care to deliver better care outcomes and a unique patient experience while driving affordability; and 

• MPG is a primary care centric platform serving nearly 900 health care providers across multiple states. 

Float hits $15M in funding 

SAN FRANCISCO – Float, a provider of on-demand home infusion nurses, has announced $10 million in Series A funding led by Canvas Ventures, whose General Partner Mike Ghaffary has joined Float's board, with participation from Wave Capital, Y Combinator, Burst Capital, and Also Capital. With $15 million in total funding, Float now has the capital, talent, and technology to continue tackling a root cause of health care's most pressing issues: chronic illness. "After years in the emergency room treating patients with chronic conditions, and from treating my dad who suffers from one, I realized that moving specialty medicine into the home would be a sea change for everyone, " said Ryan Johnson, CEO of Float. "Expanding access to this type of care would have a huge impact on patient outcomes, not to mention the burnout of my nurse friends exhausted by long shifts and juggling priorities. Float has proven successful in doing exactly that." Several tech industry founders and leaders have joined as angels, including Max Mullen, co-founder of Instacart, Andrew Bartynski, vice president of strategy and operations at ASRI, Brian Pokorny, former general partner of SV Angel, Jed Nachman, COO of Yelp, and Brian Osborn, former vice president of marketing at Yelp. Founded in 2021 by former ER nurse Johnson and Christy Johnson, COO, Float has built a network of hundreds of nurses across California and Arizona. Ryan's experience in nursing, along with Christy's background in startups and operations, has allowed them to recognize the massive need to scale their service to expand access to specialty infusions. Float's customers are some of the biggest names in specialty medicine, such as Optum, CVS, Option Care, Alliance RX (Walgreen's), Kroger, Kabafusion, Soleo Health, NuFactor, Care Fusion, CA Specialty Pharmacy, and more. 

NCPA calls out Express Scripts in letter 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The National Community Pharmacists Association is pushing Cigna’s Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI) to revise contract terms to align with its obligation to offer “reasonable and relevant” terms and conditions for participation in a Medicare Part D pharmacy network. The association is also asking Express Scripts to revise its “bonus pool fee” to align with federal policy. “We cannot help but note that Cigna-Express Scripts has publicly announced a desire to work with independent pharmacies and has even formed an Independent Advisory Committee in the last year,” NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA, wrote in a letter to Adam Kautzner, president of ESI, and David Cordani, chairman and CEO of the Cigna Group. “Unfortunately, and ironically, business conditions dictated by ESI to independent pharmacies have only gotten worse since ESI’s announcements – especially regarding Medicare Part D terms that our members tell us are out of market relative to Cigna-ESI’s competitors.” In the letter, Hoey details: 

• How ESI is continuing to pay pharmacies at rates that are less than their cost to acquire prescription medicines in Part D, violating federal law and guidance related to “reasonable and relevant” terms and conditions for participation in a pharmacy network 

• How bonus pool deductions are pharmacy price concessions that are not transparent at the point of sale. Instead, the deductions show up in bulk (not claim-by-claim) on the 835-payment file, also known as the Electronic Remittance Advice. The association says this appears to be in violation of the CMS rule that requires all pharmacy price concessions to be accounted for at the point of sale. 

Hoey’s letter follows a NCPA survey of independent pharmacy owners/managers in which almost half said that ESI was the PBM causing the most financial stress in Part D.  

VGMA provides next-gen perspective 

WATERLOO, Iowa – VGM & Associates has released its second playbook of the year: “Perspectives on the Next Generation in Post-Acute Homecare.” The playbook contains insights from industry leaders and innovators on how they see the landscape of post-acute home care evolving. "Innovations and evolutions of technology, services, products, software and even customer experiences continue to shape the next era of the post-acute home care industry," says Mandi Rodgers, vice president of marketing, VGM & Associates. "Our goal with this publication is to encourage VGM members to embrace the opportunities and challenges that are creating the next era of post-acute home care to maintain longer-term viability in our industry.” Topics include exploring the next generation of respiratory care and complex rehab technology, outlining advancements in patient care standards and developing leadership values. Members can download their copy at vgm.com/playbook or by logging in to the VGM members-only portal and downloading it from the Playbook tab. 

Golden partners with Robooter 

OLD FORGE, Pa. - Golden Technologies is the sole distributor for the Robooter E40 in the U.S. market. Golden will brand the E40 as the GP303 Golden Ally powered by Robooter with enhancements to further differentiate the folding power wheelchair. “The GP303 Ally was extremely well received at Medtrade and Golden retailers are eager to sell this innovative folding power wheelchair under the Golden brand,” said Rich Golden, CEO of Golden, in Medtrade Monday. “We are looking forward to growing our mutually beneficial relationship with Robooter and working on several additional products that will be introduced in the near future.” Per the partnership, Golden will handle all distribution and service matters for the GP303 Ally in the U.S. The Golden Ally, which was designed to provide the strength and solid feel of a traditional chair yet remain lightweight and portable, features a tight turning radius, comfortable memory foam seating and ergonomically designed foot positions. It also has the ability to be driven remotely via a smart control mobile app. 

Product launches: Dynarex, HME Home Health 

Dynarex Corporation has launched a new suite of portable products to its respiratory therapy line called Dynarex Resp-O2. The line now includes transportable solutions for oxygen delivery, suction care, nebulization therapy and more. "In response to the evolving needs of patients and providers, we are thrilled to introduce our expanded line of respiratory products," said Barry Zuckerman, respiratory advisor for the Resp-O2 product line. "Our new portable solutions provide patients with greater mobility and independence, while offering caregivers the flexibility to provide efficient respiratory care outside of traditional healthcare settings." The Dynarex Resp-O2 line’s features include the 50 PSI compressor, offering high-pressure compressed air delivery in a lightweight and durable design for high-flow therapy, enabling extended use without sacrificing performance. FMI: dynarex.com.   

HME Home Health has launched an addition to its Signature Series line: the HME Signature Series Swan Mattress. The mattress offers a state-of-the-art true low air loss therapeutic surface clinically designed to meet the unique needs of high-risk, complex clients. "HME is committed to bringing high-quality, innovative patient solutions to the market," said Robert Boscacci, CEO and co-founder. "The HME Signature Series Swan was designed with the overall patient care experience in mind and offers unique features to reduce moisture to elevate skin protection and minimize patient agitation to promote restorative sleep." HME Swan comes standard with Auto-Fowler, which automatically adjusts the airflow to the sacral area when the head of the bed is raised to prevent bottoming-out. The HME Signatures Series was first launched in 2020. FMI: Signature Series Archives • HME Home Health (hmebc.com).