Intermountain Health is expanding its partnership with Story Health to enhance virtual heart failure management across its system, following a successful pilot program that demonstrated significant improvements in patient outcomes. The initial program enrolled 35 patients, resulting in better medication adherence, improved heart function, and substantial cost savings. Now, Intermountain plans to extend this program to hundreds of patients across five sites.
The partnership between Intermountain and Story Health began early last year, when the two organizations launched a pilot program for heart failure patients. The program combined virtual coaching, biometric monitoring, and care team alerts to optimize treatment plans. The results were impressive: 80% of medication adjustments were made without in-person visits, and a fifth of patients showed meaningful improvements in their ejection fraction, a key measure of heart function.
“Intermountain’s wide reach and diversity of care settings provides the perfect test case to show that, when working together, we can execute a program that drives material patient impacts and improves clinic efficiency,” said Tom Stanis, CEO and co-founder of Story Health, in a release.
Kaley Graham, Executive Director of Intermountain Health’s Heart and Vascular Clinical Program, emphasized the importance of closing gaps in care to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients. “Intermountain has long been a leader in developing innovative models of care for treating complex patient populations. However, we need to continue to close remaining gaps in care to truly deliver best-in-class cardiology care,” Graham said. “After demonstrating successful results during our pilot program, we are confident Story Health complements and enhances the work we do in the clinic to support cardiac conditions in the outpatient setting.”
The virtual program also resulted in significant cost savings for Intermountain. The pilot’s investigators estimated that the clinical benefits of the program brought $210,000 in cost savings, while virtual medication adjustments freed up an estimated 10 hours per month of clinic appointments per 20 enrolled patients. These efficiencies are particularly important in light of the challenges many health systems face in achieving optimal treatment plans for cardiology patients.
“Health systems often face challenges achieving optimal treatment plans for cardiology patients because of the reliance on frequent clinic visits,” Stanis noted. “The math doesn’t work for the patients or the clinics—clinics only have so many appointment slots available, and frequent visits aren’t possible for many patients, especially those experiencing social barriers or in rural locations.”
Intermountain Health, based in Salt Lake City, operates 34 hospitals and around 400 clinics. The nonprofit system will continue to measure patient outcomes as it expands the virtual heart failure program. Additionally, Intermountain is piloting a separate program with Story Health to manage blood pressure levels in patients with hypertension.
Story Health, headquartered in Cupertino, California, was founded in late 2020 and has secured $27 million in funding from various investors. The company has been expanding its digital care offerings throughout 2024, including a virtual atrial fibrillation program with Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute and partnerships with value-based care companies.
As Intermountain and Story Health deepen their collaboration, this expanded virtual heart failure program represents a significant step forward in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. With the growing demand for virtual healthcare solutions, the partnership is poised to set a new standard for heart failure management in the digital age.
