How an innovative partnership is helping Firefly soar

Firefly Health in Wellesley is not your typical medical practice.

For one thing, the doctors and nurses do roughly half their visits using a video link.

With the help of their own team of engineers, Firefly has built a mobile app that allows a patient to text back and forth with a doctor, schedule an appointment and keep tabs on their personalized health program.

And each patient has access to one of the practice’s “health guides” who offers support around issues such as stress, weight loss, exercise and sleep problems.

``We wanted to do something that was radically different,’’ says Dr. Andy Ellner one of Firefly’s young leaders. ``We wanted to deliver a service that was lower cost, higher quality and provided a better experience to the patient.’’

There was just one problem: They needed an insurance plan that would reward Firefly for its innovative approach.

That’s where Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts stepped in.

The insurer has created a new contract that allows the practice to earn bonuses if it is able to make good on its goal of providing quality care with lower costs. Firefly is the first small medical practice in the state to take advantage of the contract, an addition to the company's portfolio of value-based payment models.

This article was originally published by Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Massachusetts "Coverage" Health News Stories.