The new company, which Independence and Comcast expect to take live sometime in the third quarter, would develop a range of digital and mobile healthcare services that could be accessed via desktop computers and mobile devices and apps and eventually through the Internet of Things and web-based TV.

It’s not quite smart TV for digital healthcare or the Internet of Things for delivery of health services yet, but it may be a start.

Independence Health Group, the parent company of Independence Blue Cross, the biggest health insurer in Philadelphia and other parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey with more than 3 million plan members, is joining with cable TV company Comcast, also known as Xfiniity, to create a new digital healthcare company.

The name of the company has yet to be decided as does the company’s range of pricing and services but in general the aim of the new entity is to connect all of consumer’s health, wellness and business touchpoints—what Independence and Comcast call the healthcare journey, onto one digital platform that consumers can access at home or on-the-go nationally and across multiple distribution channels and devices.

In general, Comcast would develop content and provide access across the web and cable TV to its base of 22.5 million subscribers and Independence Blue Cross would provide health insurance and provider connectivity initially to its base of nearly 8.5 million people in 24 states and Washington, D.C.

The idea behind the new company, which Independence and Comcast expect to take live sometime in the third quarter, would develop a range of digital and mobile healthcare services that could be accessed via desktop computers and mobile devices and apps and eventually through the Internet of Things and web-based TV.

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Today, consumers may have to access several digital channels for health, wellness and healthcare insurance. To access medical records, book doctor appointments, check laboratory tests and renew a prescription they consumers must access a digital portal maintained by a health system. To sign up for insurance, renew coverage, or manage their benefits consumers likewise must access another portal maintained by their health insurer.

But consumers want to access healthcare in the same simple and convenient way to use Amazon and Netflix, says Brian Lobley, president of commercial and consumer markets at Independence Blue Cross. “They want a seamless experience,” he says.

When the new joint venture does go live this summer there will be a pilot test that may include providing health and wellness content and telemedicine related to orthopedics. Eventually the Independence/Comcast digital platform might let consumers access medical records, schedule doctor visits, see doctors and other providers online, access and manage health insurance, comparison shop healthcare treatments and procedures and upload personal data from apps and wearables.

“It’s going to be a digital platform that is certainly going to be enabled via the TV, and the Comcast app, but broader than both companies’ existing footprint,” Lobley says

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Orthopedics will be an early pilot project because it’s a procedure many consumers deal with, he says.

“We’re going to start with people who are experiencing such as knee surgery,” Lobley says “What we’re looking to do is take that experience, that itinerary that person follows and digitize it.”

The two companies began talking about the joint venture about two years ago. Comcast is one of the biggest Philadelphia employers using Independence Blue Cross. Independence Blue Cross and Comcast also are members of a The Health Care Innovation Collaborative in Philadelphia, which develops various healthcare initiatives aimed at saving money and improving the quality of care.”

“Comcast’s unique experience in technology and content can be an enabler for disruptive, personalized, and media-rich innovations in health care,” says Comcast chief business development officer Sam Schwartz.

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