Brain health and dementia care pioneer Isaac Health has announced a groundbreaking partnership with LillyDirect to expand access to pivotal care resources for a vulnerable population. The collaboration will entail Isaac Health being listed on LillyDirect to provide support and care for Alzheimer’s disease. LillyDirect is an online platform established by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to provide consumers with a holistic and curated digital health experience.
This is a huge moment for Isaac, which has been innovating care models for patients in the brain health space since launching in 2022. Through its proprietary, virtual-first platform, patients can receive a free consultation and pursue holistic care with board-certified neurologists, psychiatrists and dementia specialists for assessment, curated care plans, end-to-end treatment and care management via a heavily personalized approach.
Isaac Health also provides an entire caregiver ecosystem, including training and opportunities to get care reimbursed through Medicare.
Dr. Joel Salinas, founder and chief medical officer at Isaac, explains that his goal is to be able to operate a “center of excellence model” and increase access to brain care: “Half of the country is in a dementia care desert. The window of time where treatments can actually make a positive impact is very limited, while the average wait time for specialists in this field is approximately a year or more. We hope to increase access to care so that patients can receive excellent treatment in a timely manner.”
Dr. Julius Bruch, CEO of the company, explains that the growing patient population is outpacing specialists. This is why this partnership with LillyDirect is so important: “As dementia rates continue to increase, offering patients timely access to care is essential.”
The best part about Isaac is that its virtual first platform provides an opportunity to serve all 50 states, work with most insurance plans, and most importantly, make the patient experience as easy as possible.
Dr. Salinas and Dr. Bruch both insist on a salient point: focus on brain care has never been more crucial. An NIH study published earlier this year cited a 42% lifetime risk of dementia for those over the age of 55. Another study indicates that dementia cases are expected to nearly double in the next 30 years.
Per the Alzheimer’s association, forms of dementia present as part of a larger spectrum, including:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Vascular dementia
- Lewy body dementia
- Frontotemporal dementia
- And many other, mixed and hybrid variations
Despite the increasing prevalence, however, it is one of the most underserved patient populations. In fact, a recent Yale study found that “at least one in five people living with dementia are receiving no care helping them with daily living.” Furthermore, the study found that the long-term care costs for dementia and Alzheimer’s may reach nearly $1 trillion by 2050.
This is partly why there is so much recent attention on “dementia tech.” Another prominent name in the field is Rippl, which recently acquired Kinto to further bolster its dementia care offerings. Hope Technologies is another company in this space, founded by Mayo geriatrician, Dr. Christina Chen. Synapticure is yet another player that is focused on this arena with offerings for Parkinson’s disease and ALS, as well.
Indeed, the competition is stiff, but is a welcome change for a field that has historically experienced very low funding, research efforts and advocacy. For companies like Isaac, the journey is just getting started. With a growing patient population, platforms like these are serving an important need for an otherwise under-attended sector of healthcare.
