On Thursday 16 November, 2023, BehaVR and Fern Health announced their agreement to merge their businesses and create a new digital care management solution for chronic pain. The new offering, branded as RealizedCare, is set to address the increasing demand for evidence-based, more scalable, impactful and economically viable solutions for a range of mental and behavioral health burdens, beginning with chronic pain.
Pharmaceutical company Grünenthal, parent company of Fern Health, has partnered with RealizedCare as a strategic investor, delivering on its shared vision of a world free of pain.
Aaron Gani, Founder and CEO of BehaVR and CEO of RealizedCare, said, “Through this new offering, we will unlock the power of those interventions to scale personalized care to individuals impacted by chronic pain in a way that prioritizes outcomes, and offers the integrated support needed to manage these symptoms effectively.”
Gabriel Baertschi, CEO of Grünenthal, commented, “By positioning Fern Health at this nexus, we have developed truly innovative solutions for those who suffer from chronic pain and partnered with leading health services in the US. Through this merger, we will be able to extend the reach and impact of multi-modal digital health solutions to more people living with chronic pain.”
RealizedCare will work with health plans, employers and value-based providers to provide a fully managed solution to identify, assess and engage members with chronic pain. This suite of clinically validated therapeutics includes treatments for serious mental illness and will offer members digital interventions, such as pain neuroscience education and mindfulness practices, and will connect them to a community with lived experience of chronic pain.
Brad Lawson, CEO of Fern Health, said, “This is a completely different care experience for chronic pain patients that should mean better managed pain, fewer analgesic injections, fewer trips to the ER, fewer unnecessary surgeries, and ultimately, an improved quality of life.”
RealizedCare, a leader in building evidence-based, immersive, digital therapeutics designed to create a more resilient world, is dedicated to improving access to better mental health through immersive technology. Grünenthal is a global leader in pain management and related diseases, and is striving towards a world free of pain. Fern Health is available through employers and health plans, and addresses the underlying causes of persistent pain, not just the symptoms.
The combination of Fern Health and BehaVR’s offerings, along with strategic investor Grünenthal’s vision, will help to unlock value-based chronic pain management at scale and provide an advanced care management platform powered by digital therapeutics technology.
