Adventist Health Partners with, Invests in Tele-Behavioral Startup Synchronous Health

Adventist Health, a multi-state integrated health system, and Synchronous Health, a tele-behavioral health startup, have entered into a strategic partnership. As part of the agreement, Adventist will invest in the telehealth platform. 

Roseville, California-based Adventist Health is a nonprofit that provides care through hospitals, clinics, home-based care agencies, hospices and joint-venture retirement centers in more than 80 communities across the West Coast and Hawaii.

Meanwhile, Nashville-based Synchronous Health combines a national network of mental health counselors with artificial intelligence (AI) to provide improved behavioral health care to people remotely via telehealth. It’s AI platform, Karla, is customized to provide coaching via messages and alerts to each individual, supplementing the company’s person-to-person behavioral health offerings.

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Through the partnership, the organizations will co-develop behavioral health and wellness solutions to address the biggest health care cost drivers and community needs, according to a press release announcing the news.

The arrangement expands on the work Adventist Health and Synchronous Health are already doing together. For example, last month, the pair co-developed and launched a program to help older adults deal with isolation amid the COVID-19 emergency.

The pilot program addresses the mental and physical health of more than 2 million older adults in communities Adventist Health serves, while also connecting them to resources, peers and telehealth services with additional support from the Karla platform. 

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The two organizations first teamed up earlier this year, when Adventist Health sought Synchronous Health’s help to address caregiver burnout back in April. The health system’s workers can use Synchronous Health to access behavioral health professionals and get immediate AI support.

Synchronous Health CEO Guy Barnard said the partnership will help expand the company’s reach, allowing it to better serve more populations. 

Meanwhile, Adventist Health CEO Scott Reiner said the relationship will help the health system achieve its mission. 

“Behavioral health and well-being are two-thirds of our mission statement and consistently represent the highest needs of the communities we serve,” Reiner said in a press release. “Our 10-year transformation strategy includes bringing accountable, needs-based community well-being improvement solutions to the forefront. Synchronous Health fits exactly into that strategy. We will continue our 150-year legacy of whole-person care for our associates, patients and communities by ensuring they are cared for in mind, body and spirit and the critical importance of innovating how healthcare is delivered and received.”

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