The merger will combine expertise to accelerate the launch of a comprehensive digital care management platform, starting with chronic pain.
MORRISTOWN, NJ, NOVEMBER 15, 2023 – Today, Fern Health, a leader in virtual chronic pain management solutions and BehaVR, a pioneering force in digital therapeutic (DTx) experiences, announced the signing of an agreement to merge their businesses to create a new digital care management solution for chronic pain. The new offering will be branded as RealizedCare, and strives to meet the increased demand for evidence-based, more scalable, impactful and economically viable solutions for a range of mental and behavioral health burdens, beginning with chronic pain.
RealizedCare introduces an advanced care management platform powered by DTx technology. The platform’s approach, which combines DTx with traditional wraparound services, will unlock value-based chronic pain management at scale. Grünenthal, a global research-based pharmaceutical company and parent company of Fern Health, has partnered with RealizedCare as a strategic investor, delivering on its shared vision of a world free of pain.
Read RealizedCare’s full announcement.
Fern Health was founded in 2019 with the vision of democratizing access to chronic pain care. Its clinically validated pain management solution, Fern, was developed in partnership with pain physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital. Fern enables individuals living with chronic pain to find relief by addressing the lifestyle and behavioral factors that are at the root of chronic pain symptoms. Fern provides individuals facing persistent pain with the guidance, education, and support they need to improve physical functioning, address sleep and emotional health challenges, and ultimately enhance their overall quality of life.
“Chronic pain is a major issue in the U.S. and one that has been traditionally been treated by often ineffective or invasive interventions that ultimately don’t get to the root cause of pain – the psychological and social factors that cause the nervous system to misfire,” said Brad Lawson, Fern Health’s Chief Executive Officer. “Reducing the impact of chronic pain requires thoughtful, ongoing care management, just like any other chronic condition. BehaVR understands that need and that is why we are thrilled to be joining them in this new endeavor, RealizedCare, to pursue scaling virtual, personalized pain care that can improve outcomes and quality of life.”
In 2022, Fern Health and WebMD Health Services partnered to offer Fern through WebMD ONE and collaborate to employ WebMD Health Services certified pain coaches for Fern users. In early 2023, Fern Health announced a collaboration with the MetroHealth System to develop virtual pain management solutions as a resource for patients as a complement to traditional pain management plans prescribed by providers across the pain management continuum.
The combination of Fern Health’s innovative virtual offering with BehaVR’s expertise in building immersive, evidence-based DTx will enhance engagement and impact across RealizedCare’s suite of clinically validated therapeutics. This suite includes treatments across the spectrum of mental and behavioral conditions, including treatments for serious mental illness.
For more information, read RealizedCare’s announcement.
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About Fern Health
Available through employers and health plans, Fern Health’s digital pain platform addresses the underlying causes of persistent pain, not just the symptoms. Guided programs deliver exercise therapy, interventions for sleep, nutrition, daily movement, and emotional health. Every member is supported through pain-focused 1:1 clinical coaching and pain neuroscience education to improve function, reduce pain, and avoid unnecessary healthcare costs. Fern Health is majority owned by German life science company Grünenthal International, with other minority investors. Learn more at www.fernhealth.com.
About RealizedCare
RealizedCare is a leader in building evidence-based, immersive, digital therapeutics designed to create a more resilient world, liberated from fear and pain. Its suite of clinically validated therapeutics offer access to treatments on a spectrum across mental wellness and mental and behavioral conditions, including validated treatments for serious mental illness. RealizedCare is the first immersive digital therapeutics company to deliver these treatments on an integrated platform that simplifies the patient experience, enables clinician oversight, and generates patient-specific care plans and measurable outcomes. Combining a team of accomplished clinicians and researchers with proven healthcare veterans and technology innovators, RealizedCare is dedicated to improving access to better mental health through immersive technology.
About Grüenthal
Grünenthal is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. With a vision of a world free of pain, and a strong focus on innovation and an international team, Grünenthal is driven by the ambition to create a better life for patients.
