TLDR: Everlywell initially announced plans to commercialize at-home COVID-19 sample collection kits paired with telediagnostics services in March. Soon after, the FDA issued a statement clarifying that no at-home tests were yet approved and that additional oversight was underway to evaluate at-home kits. Everlywell marks the first at-home COVID sample collection kit to garner Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), and will allow customers to send nasal swab samples to a variety of third party labs for analysis. The FDA claims that Everlywell’s data demonstrating sample stability of its nasal swab collection method was crucial to its success in achieving EUA status.

So what? Everlywell’s EUA approval may be the first, but it is unlikely to be the last. Before the FDA barred at-home testing, several telediagnostics players had announced plans to commercialize COVID-19 test offerings similar to Everlywell, including Nurx, Carbon Health, and myLAB Box. In the UK, Babylon Health is giving at-home COVID-19 antibody tests at-cost (£69) to anyone in the UK, allowing individuals to collect samples at-home and send them to an accredited Eurofins laboratory for analysis. Similarly, Scanwell Health has developed at-home COVID-19 antibody tests in partnership with Lemonaid Health and appears to be awaiting FDA approval to officially distribute the test. The FDA expects that Everlywell’s study data will support other inbound EUA requests, which will likely lower barriers to entry for other telediagnostics players hoping to launch at-home testing products. 

Premera Blue Cross set to deploy virtual primary care plan in partnership with 98point6

TLDR: As a major payor in the Pacific Northwest, Premera Blue Cross covers 2 million individuals. Their first-ever virtual primary care plan, Premera NOW, will become available for employers to purchase in October 2020. The Premera NOW app will run on 98point6’s text-based primary care platform, allowing customers to access a board-certified 98point6 virtual provider on-demand without a copay. The app allows customers to submit information and photos regarding their symptoms, followed by a text-based appointment with a physician through in-app messaging. Patients may be referred for an in-person appointment with a specialist in their network if needed.

So what? Beyond its partnership with 98point6, Premera previously announced expanded telehealth offerings through Doctor on Demand for video-based virtual care. Premera also temporarily waived costs for virtual visits supporting patients with mental health and substance use disorders during the pandemic. Premera is one of several payors partnering directly with telemedicine providers and incentivizing customer adoption. In March, Blue Shield of California opted to waive out-of-pocket costs for members using Teladoc’s telehealth services. Last month,  Humana launched On Hand, a virtual care health plan powered by Doctor on Demand that offers virtual primary care visits with no copay. Though copay suspensions will likely be temporary, increasing normalization of telemedicine solutions among payors is likely to result in sustained adoption by customers after the pandemic has receded.