CHCF Invests in mPulse to Better Serve Californians in the Safety Net
Health Innovation Fund investment in mobile technology will help Medicaid plans improve members’ experience
May 17, 2016—The California Health Care Foundation’s Health Innovation Fund today announces a $725,000 investment in mPulse, a mobile technology provider that enables health care organizations to reach and engage patients to improve health and business outcomes.
“The adoption of mobile communications by Medicaid plans is critical to engaging California’s low-income population, and mPulse has delivered on this promise to their customer base of more than 50 health care organizations,” said Jared Teo, senior program officer of the Health Innovation Fund. “Health plans can now help newly enrolled Medicaid members better navigate the system with a tool they use everyday: texting.” Inland Empire Health Plan is already working with mPulse to improve the health and well-being of its Medi-Cal beneficiaries, and pilots are in development with several other Medi-Cal plans.
mPulse helps to close gaps in care by using two-way text and secure messaging to provide health plan members with information on plan and benefit education, medication adherence, and population and community health programs. It offers a HIPAA-compliant communications platform that uses demographic, psychographic, and behavioral analytics to deliver timely and tailored messages to patients. With its Mobile Engagement Console, mPulse ensures that no question or request from a patient falls through the cracks.
“Being able to communicate with hard-to-reach populations and engage them in their health is a core part of our company’s strategy,” said Chris Nicholson, co-founder and CEO of mPulse. “We are excited about our partnership with CHCF to reinforce our strategy and better enable us to expand our offering across the Medi-Cal population.”
The CHCF Health Innovation Fund invests in health care technology and service companies addressing needs identified by health care delivery system payers and providers. mPulse, along with other fund portfolio companies, will be able to leverage CHCF’s expertise and networks in the health care delivery and reimbursement system to accelerate the development and deployment of the company’s communication platform.
About mPulse
mPulse offers healthcare organizations consumer-focused mobile engagement solutions that improve member and patient engagement and create administrative efficiencies. mPulse enables the leading health plans, providers and pharmaceutical companies to improve the health and well-being of consumers by making healthcare communications relevant to the modern lifestyle.
About the California Health Care Foundation
The California Health Care Foundation is dedicated to advancing meaningful, measurable improvements in the way the health care delivery system provides care to the people of California, particularly those with low incomes and those whose needs are not well served by the status quo. The CHCF Health Innovation Fund invests in sustainable, scalable business models with the potential to significantly lower the cost of care or improve access to care for underserved populations. For more information, visit www.chcf.org/innovation-fund.
