Today, WellTheory, the holistic care platform for individuals with autoimmune disease, announced a partnership with leading delivery provider, Instacart, to address inequities in access to anti-inflammatory and nutritious food. The newly formed partnership will integrate Instacart Health’s Fresh Funds program with WellTheory’s platform, providing patients with an opportunity to leverage the grocery delivery giant’s technology to purchase recommended food to improve their health.
Last month, WellTheory announced that they raised $14 million as a part of their Series A, led by VC giant, General Catalyst. The platform aims to provide holistic and longitudinal care for patients with autoimmune disease by working with employer based plans but also providing individuals support through the platform for 1:1 dietitian consults, personalized care and success plans, easy-to-access appointments, and a variety of testing to understand and treat symptoms. WellTheory also works with employers to help provide coverage to members with autoimmune conditions; in fact, the company indicates that it can provide upto $9400 in savings per member, per year, with a 64% reduction in emergency room visit costs and with 91% of patients reporting relief.
Now, with access to Instacart’s program, nearly 300,000 patients in WellTheory’s network will be able to access grocery stipends to purchase clinically recommended foods directly through Instacart, ensuring accessibility, convenience and health. Furthermore, given Instacart’s widespread reach throughout the US, this program will benefit people across communities of all sizes and locations.
Claire Rudolph, co-founder and head of product at WellTheory, explains that food is one of the most important aspects of the autoimmune journey, and the goal with this partnership is to decrease as much friction as possible in providing people with the nutrition they need. Sarah Mastrorocco, vice president and general manager of health at Instacart, agreed with this sentiment, commenting that Instacart’s mission is to improve access to timely groceries and foster convenience for communities. With the integration of these two organizations, hundreds of thousands of people will benefit.
Why is all of this important?
Because the prevalence of autoimmune disease is rising. Per an article by Molly Murray, president and CEO of the Autoimmune Association, “The rising prevalence of autoimmune disease is a concerning trend that underscores the urgent need for increased advocacy, awareness, education, and research.” Murray also discusses that autoimmune diseases often do not have cures, meaning that patients have to manage lifestyle factors, such as environmental exposures and diet, incredibly strictly. In fact, many studies have indicated that diets are a central aspect of triggering autoimmune conditions in individuals, and that nutrition management is one of the key means by which conditions can be managed.
Generally speaking, given the increasing rates of autoimmune conditions, more companies have emerged that are trying to address this patient population. For example, kyverna is a pharmaceutical company that is developing cell therapies specifically for patients with autoimmune conditions. Attune Health is another that is focusing on autoimmune care and research. Healthcare organizations are also realizing that these patients cannot and should not be slotted into the general population for care; hence, many are investing in specialty clinics, such as for rheumatology, with dedicated staff for specifically addressing patient needs.
The work in this space is just getting started. With nearly 15 million people impacted by autoimmune diseases in the US alone, more awareness, resources and research are imperative for this area.
