ST. LOUIS, MO & WEST DES MOINES, IA — SEPTEMBER 13, 2019: UnityPoint Health, one of the nation’s most integrated health systems, has named St. Louis-based Epharmix as the third company to be awarded funding by the system’s investment arm, UnityPoint Health Ventures.

Epharmix helps care managers engage and monitor patients in the community. Epharmix’s evidence-based check-ins use text messages to collect patient-reported symptoms and biometrics for 24 chronic and behavioral health conditions. Care managers receive alerts for patients who are rising risk, enabling timely outreach to improve patient health outcomes.

Unveiled in May of this year, UnityPoint Health Ventures awards investments to early-stage companies in four key areas: digital health, medical devices, healthcare technology systems and healthcare services. The fund supports companies whose technology can be used throughout the UnityPoint Health system, which includes 22 hospitals and 18 affiliates in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The investment in Epharmix supports the efforts of UnityPoint Health to provide an easier, more personal experience for patients and providers. It also aligns with the organization’s focus on optimizing care management and population health.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to make it easier for people to live well,” said Matthew Warrens, Managing Director of Innovation, UnityPoint Health. “A big part of our decision to invest in Epharmix was based on our organizations’ strong alignment, especially on care management and population health. We’re excited to partner with Epharmix to bring their simplistic and affordable solutions to our patients and providers.”

The strategic partnership will provide Epharmix access to the extensive and growing network of hospitals and clinics and clinical experts at UnityPoint Health who will contribute important insights on Epharmix’s product development and company growth. The partnership uniquely scales Epharmix to amplify and upgrade its portfolio of 24 clinically proven solutions. Already recognized in the medical technology world, the Epharmix Research Center has achieved nine peer-reviewed journal publications.

“The investment from UnityPoint Health illustrates the strong partnership we’re building,” said Epharmix CEO Blake Marggraff. “Matthew Warrens, along with the UnityPoint Health innovation and executive teams, bring a depth of industry experience and connections that leave us poised for accelerated growth.”

About UnityPoint Health
UnityPoint Health Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of UnityPoint Health, investing financially in companies that provide an easier, more personal experience for their patients. UnityPoint Health is one of the nation’s most integrated health systems. Through relationships with more than 280 physician clinics, 32 hospitals in metropolitan and rural communities and home care services throughout its 9 regions, UnityPoint Health provides care throughout Iowa, western Illinois and southern Wisconsin. UnityPoint Health entities employ more than 30,000 employees, working toward innovative advancements to become the Midwest’s premier health system known for redesigning the healthcare experience. For more information, visit unitypointhealth.org.

About Epharmix
Epharmix helps solve the patient engagement and monitoring challenge. The company provides patient engagement and monitoring tools to identify patients whose health is worsening in the community. Epharmix’s standardized, evidence-based SMS text messages and IVR phone calls collect patient symptoms for 24 chronic and behavioral health conditions, while advanced algorithms risk stratify patient-reported data to identify at-risk patients. Clinical teams receive alerts for at-risk patients, providing actionable data that enables proactive care to improve health outcomes and prevent avoidable ED visits. Learn more in our self-guided demo: try.epharmix.com. For more information on this press release, contact Jill Beaverson at jill.beaverson@epharmix.com or 314-307-6284.