Digital therapeutics specialist BehaVR and virtual chronic pain management programme provider Fern Health are merging their businesses and creating a new digital care management solution for chronic pain. The new offering will be branded as RealizedCare. Pharmaceutical company Grünenthal is the largest investor in the combined enterprise

RealizedCare introduces a care management platform supported by digital therapeutics (DTx) technology.  Chronic pain impacts an estimated 52 million adults in the United States and drives an estimated $261 billion to $300 billion in direct healthcare costs per year. Due to the highly individual and complex nature of persistent pain, health plans and providers have long struggled to adequately support those who experience it and manage the associated costs.

“We’ve spent the last five years building, perfecting and validating evidence-based, immersive, digital therapeutics designed to address fear and pain,” said Aaron Gani, founder and CEO of BehaVR and CEO of RealizedCare.”Through this new offering, we will unlock the power of those interventions to scale personalised care to individuals impacted by chronic pain in a way that prioritises outcomes, and offers the integrated support needed to manage these symptoms effectively.”

RealizedCare will work with health plans, employers and value-based providers to identify, assess and engage members with chronic pain via a fully managed solution.

“Chronic pain is on the rise globally and the demand for holistic, multi-modal care via digital solutions is growing. By positioning Fern Health at this nexus, we have developed truly innovative solutions for those who suffer from chronic pain and partnered with leading health services in the US. Through this merger, we will be able to extend the reach and impact of multi-modal digital health solutions to more people living with chronic pain,” said Gabriel Baertschi, CEO, Grünenthal.

In randomised controlled trials, including real world outcomes from over 23,000 encounters, patients who previously experienced BehaVR’s PNE (Pain Neuroscience Education) VR programme had 2 ½ times greater likelihood of a clinically significant reduction in disability, as well as 20 percent improvements in pain catastrophising.

“We are thrilled to join RealizedCare and to enable this new offering, which supercharges the scalability and economic viability of traditional care management programmes,” said Brad Lawson, CEO, Fern Health. “This is a completely different care experience for chronic pain patients that should mean better managed pain, fewer analgesic injections, fewer trips to the ER, fewer unnecessary surgeries, and ultimately, an improved quality of life.”