Axena Health, known for its innovative digital therapeutic solutions for women’s pelvic health, has collaborated with telehealth company UpScriptHealth to enhance the accessibility and convenience of consultations and treatments for women experiencing urinary incontinence. This partnership allows women to benefit from UpScriptHealth’s direct-to-consumer telehealth services, helping them address symptoms of urinary incontinence effectively.
The key product involved in this partnership is the Leva Pelvic Health System, crafted by Axena Health. This system is an intravaginal device that assists in pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), recognized as a primary treatment method that women can undertake from the comfort of their homes. The FDA-cleared device is equipped with motion sensors that guide women in conducting pelvic floor muscle exercises correctly, aimed at addressing mixed, mild-to-moderate urgency urinary incontinence, and chronic fecal incontinence.
To facilitate ease of access and usage of the Leva Pelvic Health System, the process involves a few steps. First, women complete a medical history questionnaire followed by an online consultation with a healthcare provider from UpScriptHealth, who then prescribes the device if suitable. Following this, the Leva Women’s Center provides information regarding insurance coverage and costs associated with the treatment, ensuring that there are no obligations to proceed unless the patients are fully informed and comfortable.
Since March 2023, UpScriptHealth has served as the pharmacy distributor for Axena’s Leva system. Reflecting on their choice for launching a telehealth platform, Jim O’Connor, the interim CEO of Axena Health, recognized UpScriptHealth’s significant role in scaling the business, stating their partnership as a fruitful endeavor that made them an apparent choice for this new initiative. According to O’Connor, telehealth platforms are crucial, especially considering the current shortage of OB-GYNs, which makes it continuously harder for patients, particularly in remote areas, to access timely healthcare consultations.
One of the advantages pointed out by O’Connor regarding the telehealth service for the Leva Pelvic Health System is its potential to permit greater access to care. By using the Leva system, women can monitor their bladder leakage symptoms more effectively, maintaining regular interaction and management plans with their healthcare providers, thereby enhancing the overall quality of care.
The broader context of this development is underscored by the prevalence of urinary incontinence among women in the U.S., with a study published in the official journal of the American Urogynecologic Society in 2022 revealing that approximately 28 million women in the U.S. suffer from moderate to severe bladder leakage. Axena’s acquisition of the Leva Pelvic Health System from Renovia, a company that developed and commercialized Leva before it ceased operations in 2022, marks a strategic move by Axena. Further bolstered by raising $25 million in Series A funding in the same year, Axena has been aggressively working towards expanding access to their digital therapeutic interventions for pelvic floor health.
In parallel, UpScriptHealth’s 2022 collaboration with Eversana aimed at launching a direct-to-patient platform demonstrates a growing trend where companies are focusing on facilitating easier access to healthcare therapies on a global scale. Another notable endeavor in the field of women’s pelvic health is SWORD Health’s introduction of Bloom in 2022, a product targeting pelvic health and pain through physical therapy, which emphasizes the increasing focus and innovation dedicated to women’s health technologies.
This partnership between Axena Health and UpScriptHealth represents a significant step forward in utilizing digital health solutions and telehealth platforms to address critical health issues among women, fostering a more accessible and effective healthcare ecosystem.
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